Franklin  Institute  Ijmmet 

FHILdDELFHIrt 

d*s*.£&Z~  I  Book  R  2>S--    Accession ..8£MJ 


Article  V. — The  Library  shall  be  divided  into  two  classes  ;  the  first 
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Article  VI. — The  Secretary  shall  have  authority  to  loan  to  Members 
and  to  holders  of  second  class  stock,  any  work  belonging  to  the  second 
class,  subject  to  the  following  regulations  : 

Section  1. — No  individual  shall  be  permitted  to  have  more  than  two 
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rower may  renew  the  loan.  Should  any  person  have  applied  for  it,  the 
latter  shall  have  the  preference. 

Section  2. — A  fine  of  ten  cents  per  week  shall  be  exacted  for  the 
detention  of  a  book  beyond  the  limited  time  ;  and  if  a  book  be  not  re- 
turned within  three  months  it  shall  be  deemed  lost,  and  the  borrower 
shall,  in  addition  to  his  fines,  forfeit  its  value. 

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direct ;  and  if  one  or  more  books,  belonging  to  a  set  or  sets,  be  lost,  the 
borrower  shall  replace  them  or  make  full  restitution. 

Article  VII. — Any  person  removing  from  the  Hall,  without  permis- 
sion from  the  proper  authorities,  any  book,  newspaper  or  other  property 
in  charge  of  the  Library  Committee,  shall  be  reported  to  the  Committee, 
who  may  inflict  any  fine  not  exceeding  twenty-five  dollars. 

Article  VIII. — No  member  or  holder  of  second  class  stock,  whose 
annual  contribution  for  the  current  year  shall  be  unpaid  or  who  is  in 
arrears  for  fines,  shall  be  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the  Library  or 
Reading  Room. 

Article  IX. — If  any  member  or  holder  of  second  class  stock,  shall 
refuse  or  neglect  to  comply  with  the  foregoing  rules,  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  the  Secretary  to  report  him  to  the  Committee  on  the  Library. 

Article  X. — Any  Member  or  holder  of  second  class  stock,  detected 
in  mutilating  the  newspapers,  pamphlets  or  books  belonging  to  the  Insti- 
tute shall  be  deprived  of  his  right  of  membership,  and  the  name  of  the 
offender  shall  be  made  public. 


THE 


PRACTICAL  HQRSBSHQEB. 

BEING   A   COLLECTION   OF  ARTICLES   ON   HORSESHOEING  IN  ALL  ITS 
BRANCHES  WHICH  HAVE  APPEARED  FROM  TIME  TO  TIME  IN  THE 
COLUMNS  OF  "THE  BLACKSMITH  AND  WHEELWRIGHT,"  IN- 
CLUDING A  CHAPTER  ON  OX  SHOEING  AND  THE  MOST 
VALUABLE  OF  THE  CONTRIBUTIONS  OF  PROF.  J. 
M.  HEARD  ON  THE  DISEASES  OF  HORSES, 
WHICH   HAVE  APPEARED  IN  THE 
VETERINARY  DEPARTMENT 
OF  THAT  JOURNAL. 


,  COMPILED  AND  EDITED  BY 


PROFUSELY  ILLUSTRATED. 


New  York: 
M.  T.  RICHARDSON,  Publisher. 
1889. 


SF 


Copyright,  1889. 
By  RICHAR^SQl^. 


•     •  •  !  ! 


THE  GETTY  CLMLR 
ItBRARV 


CONTENTS. 


PREFACE,   -  3 

INTRODUCTION,   5 

CHAPTER  I. 

Horses  and  Horseshoeing,  .  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Special  Tools  Used  by  Horseshoers,         ...  42 

CHAPTER  III. 

Various  Devices  for  Shoeing  Ugly  Horses,  .  67 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Preparing  the  Foot— Hot  or  Cold  Fitting,  Which?     .  87 

CHAPTER  V. 

Contracted  Feet,       ......  110 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Corns  and  How  to  Treat  Them,        ....  148 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Interfering  and  Over-Reaching,  ...  153 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Quarter  Cracks  and  Split  Hoofs,     .  ,        .  178 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Shoeing  Knee  Sprung,   Flat-footed   or  Club-footed 

Horses,  Etc.,     ......  198 

CHAPTER  X. 

Miscellaneous  Subjects,         .  216 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Docking,  ........  241 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Tips  for  Trotters,         .        .        .        .        .        .  248 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Horse  Physiognomy,         .....  259 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Ox  Shoeing,  .        .        .        .        .        .        .  270 


PREFACE. 


Numerous  works  on  horseshoeing  have,  from  time  to 
time,  been  published,  but  each  one  from  the  pen  of  a, 
single  individual  and  representing  only  his  experience 
and  theories  as  to  the  best  methods  of  practice. 

The  present  work  embraces  the  varying  views  of  a 
large  number  of  horseshoers  located  in  all  parts  of  the 
United  States,  and  as  such  is  unique  in  its  conception. 
The  articles  presented  in  the  following  pages  have,  many 
of  them,  been  called  out  in  response  to  the  special  in- 
quiries of  readers  of  The  Blacksmith  and  Wheelwright, 
and  all  of  them  have  previously  appeared  in  the  columns 
of  that  journal. 

Nearly  or  quite  every  phase  of  this  intricate  subject 
is  treated  in  some  shape  or  other.  At  the  risk  of  being 
accused  by  some  shoers  of  presenting  misleading  views 
or  incorrect  methods,  the  Compiler  has  been  liberal  in 
making  selections  from  the  mass  of  matter  which  has 
appeared  during  the  past  ten  years  in  the  pages  of  The 
Blacksmith  and  Wheelwright.  He  has  deemed  it  better 
to  occasionally  err  in  a  selection  rather  than  set  himself 


iv 


PREFACE. 


up  as  a  censor  of  practices  which  have  been  found  to 
result  satisfactorily  in  some  hands,  if  not  in  all. 

Each  reader  should  judge  for  himself  of  the  practica- 
bility of  any  given  method  before  adopting  it. 

So  many  ways  of  accomplishing  the  same  result  are 
offered  that  it  is  confidently  felt  that  at  least  one  or  more 
may  be  found  to  fit  almost  every  conceivable  case. 
Without  desiring  to  disparage  any  other  work  on  the 
same  subject,  the  Editor  feels  that  the  present  volume 
will  be  found  invaluable  to  every  man  who  shoes  horses, 
wholly  or  in  part,  for  a  living. 

Not  by  any  means  the  least  valuable  feature  of  the 
present  volume,  will  be  found  the  numerous  tools  for 
horseshoers  as  well  as  devices  for  controlling  unruly 
horses. 

The  Editor. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  first  method  of  protecting*  the  horse's  feet  was  by 
means  of  buskins,  as  they  were  termed ;  then  came  a  net- 
work, and  lastly  metal  shoes.  The  impetuous  action  of  the 
animals,  their  weight,  and  the  angular  form  of  the  hoof 
have  given  much  trouble  about  the  manner  of  fastening  on 
the  shoes. 

In  Japan  a  kind  of  rushwork  is  used,  which  wraps  the 
whole  hoof,  but  it  wears  so  fast  on  the  road  that  travelers 
take  a  quantity  with  them  on  a  journey,  and  poor  people 
have  them  ready-made  for  sale  at  stopping  places.  The 
Mongols  in  high  northern  places  shoe  their  horses  with  the 
palmy  parts  of  reindeer  horns. 

In  ancient  Persia,  where  the  breeds  of  gray,  dun  and  bay 
racers  are  all  hard-hoofed,  the  use  of  shoes  in  the  sandy  dis- 
tricts was  needless,  and  not  much  attention  was  required 
to  the  abrasion  of  horn  ;  but  in  the  higher  and  more  stony 
districts,  where  the  frog  and  edges  of  the  hoof  became  more 
tender,  it  was  looked  to.  In  rapid  and  long-continued 
marches  the  hardest  hoofed  animals  became  crippled,  and 
in  history  we  find  more  than  one  instance  where  military  ex- 
peditions were  arrested  in  their  progress  until  the  horses 
had  time  to  recover  and  restore  their  hoofs.  These  occur- 
red chiefly  when  great  operations  were  directed  by  foreign 
commanders  who  trusted  to  their  energy  for  surmounting  ob- 
stacles which  native  warriors  believed  to  be  impracticable. 
Thus  Alexander  the  Great,  at  the  siege  of  Cyzicus,  was 
thwarted  and  delayed,  while  the  Persians,  under  Darius, 
and  the  Parthians  appear  to  have  been  equally  distressed 
under  similar  circumstances. 

5 


6 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


At  the  time  of  Hannibal's  invasion  of  the  Roman- Empire 
horseshoeing  appears  to  have  been  unknown  to  the  Cartha- 
ginians, as  we  read  that  that  mighty  warrior  was  some- 
times compelled  to  give  his  famous  cavalry  horses  a  rest 
to  enable  their  feet  to  recover  from  the  soreness  occasioned 
by  rapid  and  prolonged  marches.  That  the  Arabs  of  the 
Hegira  (a.d.  622),  or  within  a  generation  later,  shod  their 
horses  is  plain,  if  we  believe  that  the  iron  work  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  standard  of  Hosien,  at  Ardbeil,  was  made  from 
a  horseshoe  belonging  to  Abbas,  ancle  of  Mohammed,  by 
order  of  his  daughter  Fatima.  It  was  brought,  says  the 
legend,  from  Arabia  by  Sheik  Soft.  It  is  probable,  therefore, 
that  the  art  of  shoeing  must  have  been  known  among  the 
Arabs  as  early  as  the  time  of  Mohammed.  These  people 
say  their  first  farrier  came  to  them  from  the  seaboard. 

The  greatest  and  earliest  difficulty  in  the  management 
of  the  horse's  hoof  seems  to  have  been  to  combine  a  hard 
substance  for  the  wear  and  tear  with  a  ready  means  of  fast- 
ening that  would  not  injure  the  corneous  substance,  the 
ancients  feeling  that  to  make  a  puncture  in  the  hoof  would 
cause  pain  to  the  animal  and  otherwise  injure  him ;  yet 
iron  was  found  to  be  admissible.  The  form  of  the  Asiatic 
horseshoe  is  circular,  and  instead  of  being  fastened  on  by 
means  of  nails  driven  through  the  hoofs,  it  is  secured  by  the 
clamps  that  appear  to  have  closed  on  the  outside  or  ascend- 
ing surface.  The  exact  counterpart  of  form,  etc.,  existed  at 
the  period  of  the  Ionian  Greeks.  The  making  of  incisions 
in  the  hoof  for  the  sharp  points  of  the  clamps  to  obtain  a 
hold  probably  led  to  the  knowledge  that  little  or  no  pain 
was  caused  to  the  horse,  and  thus  holes  were  bored  for  the 
nails,  which  became  ever  after  the  method  of  fastening. 

BARBAROUS  EXTRAVAGANCE. 

The  round  horseshoe  of  old  Arabian  methods  was  an  im- 
provement on  the  Circassian,  the  outside  clamps  being 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


7 


omitted  and  nail  holes  substituted.  Then  came  the  altera- 
tion to  thinner  iron  plates  with  hut  little  opening".  Then 
the  more  lengthened  heels,  all  unfit  for  securing-  the  feet  m 
rocky  countries.  Then  the  war  horses  were  shod  with  very 
large,  heav^-  iron  shoes,  slightly  turned  up  and  pointed  at 
the  toe,  also  cocked  at  the  heel  with  broad  spikes  to  afford 
a  surer  footing-  at  a  charg-e.  In  the  chivalrous  age  a  march- 
ing- party  of  marauders,  by  placing  the  horses'  shoes  in  a 
reversed  manner,  deceived  pursuers,  who,  seeing  the  toe- 
marks  in  a  given  direction,  turned  their  backs  upon  the 
route  they  pursued.  This  was  practiced  in  the  border  wars 
by  what  were  called  "  moss-troopers,"  who  had  often  great 
reason  to  avoid  capture,  for  the  gallows  not  unfrequently 
closed  their  career. 

Contrary  to  the  general  impression,  says  Gen.  Dumas,  the 
Arabs  of  the  Sahara  are  in  the  habit  of  shoeing  their  horses 
with  a  view  to  the  nature  of  the  ground  they  are  compelled 
to  travel  over.  It  seems  to  be  the  universal  practice  among 
these  people  to  remove  the  shoes  in  spring,  when  the  animals 
are  turned  out  to  grass,  it  being  asserted  that  care  must  be 
taken  not  to  check  the  renewal  of  the  blood,  which,  it  is 
thought,  takes  place  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Their 
horseshoes  are  kept  readj^  made  (four  sets  of  fore  and  hind 
shoes  being  a  year's  supply),  and  are  fitted  cold.  The 
shoes  are  very  light,  but  made  of  well-hammered  iron. 
The  hoof  is  allowed  to  grow  freely,  being  neither  pared  nor 
shortened,  the  very  stony  ground  and  incessant  work  re- 
quired of  the  horse  sufficing  to  wear  it  off  naturally,  as  by 
growth  it  projects  over  the  iron. 

The  Arabian  smith  while  plying  his  vocation  sits  with 
legs  crossed  and  doubled  under  him. 

The  nails  used  are  so  constructed  as  to  serve  as  calks,  be- 
ing provided  with  large  oblong  heads. 

In  the  days  when  barbarous  extravagance  was  taken  for 
magnificence,  a  horse  was  occasionally  shod  with  silver. 


8 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


In  the  eleventh  century — or,  to  give  the  exact  date,  a.d. 
1038 — Boniface,  Marquis  of  Tuscany,  a  wealthy  prince,  in 
going  to  meet  Beatrix,  his  intended  bride,  had  his  horses 
shod  with  silver,  and  the  shoes  were  allowed  to  be  cast  off 
in  order  to  be  appropriated  by  the  multitude  that  followed 
in  throngs.  At  a  later  date  Lord  Doncaster,  an  English 
ambassador,  acted  in  a  similar  manner  on  his  public  en- 
try into  Paris.  The  following  account  may  be  amusing : 
"  Six  trumpeters  and  two  marshals  in  rich  velvet  liveries 
closely  laced  over  with  gold,  led  the  way ;  then  came  the 
ambassador  and  retinue  of  pages,  booted,  with  horses  rich- 
ly caparisoned.  The  ambassador's  horses  were  shod  with 
silver  shoes,  lightly  tacked  on,  and  when  he  came  to  a  place 
where  persons  of  beauty  or  eminence  were,  his  horses  pranced 
and  curveted  in  a  showy  manner  and  threw  the  shoes  away, 
which  the  greedy  multitude  scrambled  for,  and  he  was  con- 
tent to  be  gazed  on  until  a  farrier — or,  rather,  argentier — 
from  among  his  trained  footmen  took  from  out  a  velvet  bag 
others  and  tacked  them  on,  which  lasted  until  he  came  to 
the  next  group  of  grandees,  and  thus,  with  much  ado,  he 
reached  the  Louvre." 

William  the  Conqueror  is  said  to  have  introduced  horse- 
shoeing in  England,  yet  one  Welbeck  in  Nottinghamshire, 
the  property  of  a  Saxon  chief  named  Gamelbere,  who  re- 
tained his  fief  on  the  condition  of  shoeing  the  king's  palfrey 
whenever  he  should  lie  at  the  Manor  of  Mansfield,  and  that 
he  should  give  another  palfrey  whenever  he  should  lame  the 
king's  animal,  is  recorded.  If  the  account  should  be  true, 
horseshoers  must  be  older  in  England  than  the  Norman 
Conquest,  and  when  looking  at  the  Bayeux  tapestry  it  is 
perceived  that  both  Saxon  and  Norman  horses  showed  un- 
equivocal marks  of  shoes  and  hob-nails  on  their  feet. 

Henry  de  Ferrers,  who  bore  six  horseshoes  in  his  shield, 
was  of  the  Norman  invaders,  and,  it  is  believed,  was  intrust- 
ed with  the  inspection  of  the  king's  farriers.    The  armorial 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


9 


bearings  are,  it  is  true,  older  than  the  regular  establish- 
ment of  heraldry,  but  most  likely  they  were,  together  with 
the  family  names,  signs  of  office.  The  proper  names  of  Mar- 
shall and  Smith  are  singularly  typified  by  hammers,  tongs, 
anvils  and  horseshoes. 

THE  "  CURVED  CHARM.  " 

In  regard  to  the  superstition  attached  to  the  "  curved 
Charm,"  it  is  universal.  In  Abj^ssinia,  Barbae,  and  even  in 
Guinea,  horseshoes  are  fixed  on  doors  and  the  thresholds 
of  houses  as  much  as  in  Europe,  Asia  and  America.  One 
is  seen  carved  on  a  pagan  Runic  monument  of  the  eleventh 
century,  and  the  practice  is  known  in  Japan,  China  and 
Persia,  and  it  is  traced  upon  the  cabin  door  of  the  Hotten- 
tot and  the  West  Coast  negro  almost  as  frequently  as  on  the 
barn  door  of  a  Dutch  or  English  farmhouse.  The  horse- 
shoe may  be  seen  nailed  to  the  mast  of  the  coasting  vessels^ 
not  after  the  manner  of  antiquity,  with  the  heels  up,  but 
with  the  arch  topmost.  In  Devonshire  and  Cornwall, 
England,  they  are  nailed  on  the  great  west  door  of  the 
church ;  also  on  the  door  of  the  church  at  Halcomber, 
Devonshire,  where  formerly  four  horseshoes  were  seen, 
possibly  to  keep  off  witches,  whose  especial  amusement  it 
was 

"To  untie  the  winds,  and  make  them  fight 
Against  the  churches." 

Inquiry  receives  the  same  answer  to  symbolize  a  con- 
temptible superstition  in  this  country.    Whittier  says  : 

"  And  still  o'er  many  a  neighbor's  door 
She  saw  the  horseshoe's  curved  charm." 

"  The  cautious  goodman  nails  no  more 
A  horseshoe  on  his  outside  door, 
Lest  some  unseemly  hag  should  fit 
To  his  own  mouth  her  bridle  bit.' 


io 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


The  shoe,  an  illustration  (Fig*.  1)  of  which  is  here  given,  was 
taken  from  the  foot  of  one  of  the  Arabian  horses  presented  to 
General  Grant  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey.  According  to  Flem- 


Fig.  1.— Shoe  from  the  foot  of  one  of  the  Arabian  Stallions  presented  to  General  Grant 
in  1879  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey. 

ing*?  the  horses  of  the  East  have  been  shod  with  similar  shoes 
for  the  past  500  years,  the  only  variation  from  the  form  shown 
in  the  engraving-  being*  in  the  opening  for  the  frog*,  which  is 
usually  made  triangular. 
The  dimensions  of  this  shoe  are  as  follows  :   Length,  5f 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


11 


inches  ;  width,  inches  ;  thickness,  £  of  an  inch.  The  heel, 
which  is  bent  up  about  f  of  an  inch,  shows  a  fracture  in  the 
iron  at  the  point  where  it  was  originally  welded.  The  nail- 
holes  are  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 


Fig  3 .  —Syrian  Fig: .  4.— Spanish 

Horse  Nail.  Horse  Nail. 

In  Fig-.  2  is  shown  the  style  of  nail  used  in  shoeing  Ara- 
bian horses.  It  seems  bungling  and  clumsy  in  comparison 
with  the  neat,  trim  American  nails.  Fig.  3  is,  if  anj'thing, 
more  bungling  in  construction  than  the  Arabian  nail,  and 
represents  the  nail  in  use  in  Syria.  Fig.  4,  a  Spanish  nail, 
is  a  step  forward,  and,  at  least,  resembles  our  modern  nail, 


CHAPTER  I. 


HORSES  AND  HORSESHOEING. 
The  Treatment  of  Horses. 

Being  very  fond  of  horses,  and  finding  in  a  good  lively 
drive  with  an  occasional  friendly  "  brush "  more  of  real 
solid  enjoyment  than  in  almost  any  other  recreation,  I 
am  naturally  led  to  think  much  upon  the  subject  of  the 
proper  care  and  treatment  of  horses,  and  also  through 
observation  and  comparison  to  form  opinions  as  to  suitable 
vehicles  and  best  condition  of  roads,  through  the  medium 
of  which  the  most  enjoyment  may  be  had  with  the  least 
of  wear  and  tear  and  danger. 

A  horse  fit  to  be  called  a  good  roadster,  that  is,  one  hav- 
ing the  necessary  amount  of  speed  to  start  up  and  pull  a 
wagon  with  two  men  over  a  country  road,  far  from  level,  at 
a  really  rapid  gait,  must  have  some  breeding,  be  in  good 
health  and  condition,  and  have  good  feet.  What  are  good 
strains  of  blood  can  be  learned  from  breeders.  There  must 
be  bone,  and  muscle,  and  proper  form,  but  there  must  be 
intelligence  and  courage,  with  that  gamecock  pluck  which 
cannot  be  found  in  dunghills.  The  right  horses  may  be  had 
by  the  thousand,  and  how  to  properly  feed  and  care  for 
them  in  general,  covering  all  matters  of  stabling, ventilation, 
grooming,  clothing,  harness  and  fittings,  how  to  drive  to 
develop  latent  speed  and  improve  upon  that  already  devel- 
oped, or  at  least  to  keep  the  developed  trotter  or  roadster 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


at  the  best,  are  subjects  that  have  been  so  thoroughly- 
treated  upon  by  veterinarians,  professional  drivers,  and 
gentlemen  amateurs  as  to  appear  to  leave  nothing  more  to 
be  said. 

Still  it  is  a  fact  that  there  are  continually  many  of  the 
most  promising  horses  going  wrong — "going  all  to  pieces," 
to  quote  a  common  sajing — in  spite  of  being  in  the  best  of 
hands,  where  no  reasonable  trouble  or  expense  would  be 
counted  too  great  whereby  they  could  be  kept  right  or 
cured  after  going  wrong.  These  things  show  that  either 
the  teaching  is  at  fault,  or  that  little,  seemingly  unimpor- 
tant conditions,  so  slight  as  to  be  overlooked,  are  really  of 
great  consequence. 

A  great  many  horses  have  a  hitch  in  the  gait  produced 
by  driving  at  speed  too  far  when  the  pulling  weight  was 
great,  or  asking  for  a  little  too  much  speed  of  a  colt.  Ask- 
ing the  horse  to  speed  right  out  before  the  proper  amount 
of  slow  work  has  been  done  on  first  leaving  the  stable,  pro- 
duces the  same  defect.  Hitching  is  nearly  as  bad  as  crib- 
bing, is  unsightly  and  annoying,  and  cuts  speed  down  equal 
to  absolute  lameness.  It  is  sometimes  cured,  but  where  one 
confirmed  hitcher  is  taught  to  again  go  square,  hundreds 
of  square,  pure-gaited  horses  might  be  kept  so  by  "  waiting 
a  little." 

From  a  condition  of  absolute  soundness,  feet  get  sore, 
get,  in  fact,  in  the  same  condition  which  is  known  to  be  the 
sequel  of  acute  founder  neglected,  and  still  without  any 
acute  founder.  Neglect  of  proper  paring  at  reasonable 
intervals;  lack  of  suitable  exercise;  want  of  necessary  mois- 
ture ;  ill-fitting  shoes  which,  by  preventing  the  foot  from 
performing  in  all  its  parts  the  natural  functions  that  tend 
to  the  secretion  of  healthy  horn  and  the  preservation 
through  suitable  action  of  proper  shape;  bruising  of  the 
sole  by  contact  with  small  stones  in  driving,  these  stones 
being  often  picked  up  between  the  frog  and  web  of  the  shoe 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


15 


and  carried  for  miles,  or  even  left  in  the  foot  for  days  "by 
that  class  of  men  who  say,  "  Humph,  I  never  trouble  my- 
self about  a  horse's  foot.  If  a  horse  is  sound  he  wants 
nothing-  done  to  his  feet" — these  and  divers  other  causes 
gradually — and  to  the  owners  and  drivers  many  times — 
imperceptibly  produce  a  condition  of  the  feet  which  shortens 
the  gait,  impairs  the  speed,  and  causes  on-lookers  to  say  : 

"  's  horse  is  sore,  actually  goes  lame  at  times";  and 

still  the  gentlest  hint  to  the  owner  that  his  horse  is  not  "  all 
right"  will  be  indignantly  be  met  with  the  response, 
"  Sound  as  any  horse  in  the  world,"  until  downright  lame- 
ness ensues.  Now  something*  must  be  done,  and  the 
veterinarian  is  consulted,  who,  with  pills  and  powders, 
balls,  blisters,  and  poultices,  special  shoeing  and  hoof  oint- 
ment, soakers  and  bandages,  and  continuous  care,  palliates 
the  horse's  disease  and  depletes  the  pocket  of  the  owner,  and 
finally  admits,  when  patience  has  been  exhausted,  what 
he  knew  was  the  fact  in  the  beginning*,  that "  all  treatment 
is  only  palliative — a  cure  is  impossible." 

Well,  what  can  be  done?  Much  may  be  done.  Insist 
upon  having*  as  much  of  the  superfluous  growth  of  hoof  cut 
away-  at  each  shoeing  as  will  relieve  the  foot  from  any  undue 
pressure  caused  by  excessive  growth.  Don't  pare  the  frogs, 
but,  by  sufficient  moisture,  keep  them  in  such  condition  that 
"frog  pressure"  shall  come  upon  an  elastic  cushion,  not 
upon  a  substance  as  unyielding  as  the  wall  itself.  Pressure 
on  the  frog*  is  beneficial  only  when  the  frog*  is  in  proper  con- 
dition to  receive  it.  Don't  insist  too  strongly  upon  leaving* 
the  sole  untouched  by  the  knife  without  first  knowing  what 
sort  of  feet  you  are  dealing  with.  Some  feet  will  shed  out 
the  dead  horn  from  the  sole  in  scales  of  considerable  thick- 
ness once  in  a  month  or  six  weeks,  and  never  need  to  have 
the  sole  pared  at  all.  Other  feet  which  have  the  sole  un- 
touched by  the  knife  will  never  shed  out  a  particle  of  the 
sole  for  an  entire  year,  and  by  the  accumulation  of  hoof 


16 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


which  should  not  remain,  and  if  shed  out  should  be  cut 
out,  such  feet  are  subjected  to  pressure  which  must  cause 
excessive  pain  and  produce  corns  and  sore,  shortened 
action. 

To  compensate  for  the  change  from  the  cool,  soft  turf, 
with  the  morning-  due  upon  the  grass,  and  the  occasional 
wade  in  the  brook  or  through  the  marsh  which  the  horse 
finds  in  pasturage,  to  the  hard,  dry  roads,  with  the  dust, 
heated  in  summer  to  blistering,  and  the  dry,  unyielding 
floor  of  the  stable,  there  must  be  some  moistening  or  soften- 
ing agency  applied  to  the  feet  at  times  or  there  will  be  con- 
traction, corns,  uncertain,  tender-footed  action,  and  finally 
downright  lameness.  "  Yes,  give  them  a  good  soaking  out 
in  hot  water  two  or  three  times  a  week,  and  stuff  them  over 
night  with  linseed  meal  and  wheat  bran."  No,  not  till  such 
treatment  is  necessary,  and  with  proper  care  it  need  not 
become  necessary.  Keep  a  soaking  tub  or  box,  and,  with 
as  much  clean,  cool  water  as  will  reach  above  the  coronet, 
let  the  horse  stand  with  fore-feet  immersed  for  a  few  min- 
utes, or  an  hour,  once  in  a  few  daj7s,  or  weeks,  or  every  day, 
as  the  drjmess  of  the  roads  or  the  condition  of  the  particu- 
lar feet  in  question  demands.  This,  with  the  application  of 
a  good  hoof  ointment  in  some  cases,  will  do  much  good. 
Aim  to  keep  the  feet  cool,  with  the  frogs  in  an  elastic  con- 
dition. Make  a  soaking  box  18  inches  long,  12  inches  wide, 
and  7  inches  deep  inside,  by  having  the  sides  the  same 
length  of  the  bottom,  and  nailing  them  to  the  bottom,  then 
nailing  the  end  pieces  to  the  sides  and  bottom,  the  bottom 
board  being  inside.  Such  a  box  will  hold  water  as  well  as 
a  tub,  is  lighter,  and  takes  up  less  room.  Make  it  of  pine 
from  full  1  inch  to  1£  inches  thick. 

When  a  horse  comes  in  from  a  drive,  clean  his  feet  out 
with  some  sensible  kind  of  hoof-pick  which  will  get  the 
gravel  from  between  the  sole  and  web  of  the  shoe,  then 
with  a  sponge  and  pail  of  water  wash  each  foot  clean. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


17 


inside  and  out.  Of  hoof  ointments  there  are  plenty.  Vase- 
line will  answer  first-rate. 

If  a  quick  drive  is  to  be  made,  whether  of  ten  or  twelve 
miles  within  the  hour,  or  of  twenty  or  thirty  miles  at  the 
same  rate,  don't  be  in  a  hurry  at  the  start.  Begin  easily, 
warm  your  horse  up  gradually,  get  the  joints  limbered  up 
and  in  good  working  order,  and  as  the  lungs  and  heart  get. 
in  proper  action,  with  stomach  and  bowels  relieved  as  they 
will  be  by  waiting  a  little,  your  horse  can  rattle  along 
easily  at  a  rate  which  Avould  have  made  him  puff  and  blow, 
and  scour,  and  lather  if  started  out  too  fast  at  first,  and 
you  "  get  there"  with  your  horse  in  good  shape.  "With 
some  drivers  certain  horses  are  said  to  be  "  poor  feeders," 
while  with  other  drivers  the  same  horses  will  do  as  much 
work  and  never  lose  a  feed.  Don't  start  out  too  strong : 
always  ease  off  a  little  toward  the  last  end  of  a  drive. 
Slackening  down  to  a  jog  or  walk  for  the  last  mile  of  a  drive 
makes,  sometimes,  hours  of  difference  in  the  time  it  takes 
for  the  horse  to  be  dry  and  comfortable,  besides  letting  the 
machinery,  which  has  been  working-  at  its  utmost  tension, 
get  back  to  something-  like  its  normal  condition  under  easy 
action,  instead  of  coming  to  a  standstill  from  the  high  state 
of  strain. 

About  Horseshoeing. 

It  is  probable  that  on  no  other  subject  pertaining  to  me- 
chanical practice  is  there  more  diversity  of  opinion.  If  we 
go  to  the  authors  of  treatises  on  horseshoeing,  we  are  told 
that  to  keep  the  horse's  foot  in  a  perfect  condition  of  health 
it  is  simpty  necessary  to  shoe  according  to  the  rules  laid 
down  by  them ;  but  when  we  turn  from  the  opinions  ex- 
pressed and  rules  laid  down  by  one  writer,  to  find  him  con- 
tradicted on  every  important  point  by  other  authorities, 
what  are  we  to  do  ?    With  one  the  all-important  thing  is 


18 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


"cold  fitting-/'  while  another  recommends  "  hot  fitting-," 
not  simply  as  admissible  and  something- to  be  tolerated,  but 
as  the  only  way  in  which  a  shoe  can  be  properly  fitted, 
and  as  being  a  positive  benefit  to  the  foot  rather  than  an 
injury. 

To  open  out  the  heels,  even  to  drawing-  blood — using  a 
saw  for  the  purpose  when  necessity,  or  laziness,  suggests 
it,  and  then  cut  down  the  wall  all  that  it  will  bear,  follow- 
ing this  by  a  cutting  away  of  the  entire  sole  until  it  readily 
yields  to  slight  pressure  with  the  thumb,  or  till  the  blood 
oozes  through,  while  the  frog  is  also  nicely  trimmed  off, 
is  advised  by  one,  while  another  says,  "The  frog  and  sole 
should  never,  under  any  circumstances,  be  cut  at  all." 

But  the  subject  is  of  too  wide  a  scope,  the  opinions  and 
practices  of  horseshoers  and  horse-owners  differ  too  radi- 
cally ;  while  the  almost  endless  variety  of  feet  to  be  shod, 
the  variety  multiplied  over  and  over  by  the  varied  condi- 
tions in  which  the  feet  are  found,  owTing  in  some  measure  to 
shoeing  both  good  and  bad,  leave  too  much  to  be  written  to 
hope  for  more  than  the  most  casual  reference  here  to  a  few 
of  the  abuses  to  be  found. 

How  better  point  out  these  abuses,  as  they  look  to  the 
writer,  than  to  relate  some  scraps  of  personal  experience  ? 
But  need  I  put  this  experience  in  the  first  person  ?  Have 
not  so  many  other  horse-owners  been  through  the  same 
experience  that  to  state  the  fact,  leaving  out  the  "I,"  will 
come  right  home  to  them  ?  A  new  horse  is  purchased  after 
careful  examination  of  feet  and  limbs ;  the  gait  and  manner 
of  going  are  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  there  is  not  a 
mark  on  any  ankle  or  knee  to  show  that  there  has  ever  been 
such  a  thing  as  striking  either  forward  or  behind.  For  two, 
three,  or  even  for  four  or  five  weeks  the  horse  is  driven 
with  the  same  shoes  he  wore  when  purchased,  the  clinches 
get  out  so  that  it  looks  dangerous  to  go  longer  without 
shoeing,  and  still  there  has  been  no  interfering.    The  horse 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


19 


is  taken  to  the  shop  and  has  "  a  new  set  all  round."  The 
old  shoes  when  removed  are  contemptuously  tossed  into 
the  scrap  heap,  with  the  remark  that  "it  is  a  great 
wonder  that  the  horse  could  go  at  all  with  such  things  on ; 
should  suppose  he  would  cut  himself  all  to  pieces."  Now 
the  horse  is  to  be  shod  properly.  No  more  great  sprawling 
shoes. 

The  feet  are  cut  down,  the  soles  are  pared  thin,  the  frogs 
are  "trimmed  into  some  shape,"  and  the  shoes  are  fitted 
full  on  the  outside  and  close  on  the  inside.  Of  course 
there  is  no  harm  in  fitting  the  shoe  full  even  to  projecting  a 
little  on  the  outside,  but  on  the  inside,  where  there  may  be 
danger  of  striking,  the  shoe  must  be  fitted  and  nailed  on 
close.  What  is  close  ?  Why,  anywhere  fron  one-sixteenth 
to  one-quarter  of  an  inch  out  from  being  flush  with  the  wall 
on  the  inside  quarter,  the  projecting  hoof  to  be  rasped  off 
after  the  shoe  is  nailed  on  and  the  clinches  laid  down.  In 
rasping  off  the  projecting  wall  from  the  inner  quarter  to  the 
toe,  the  shoer,  to  avoid  an  unsightly  joining  of  angles,  car- 
ries the  rasping  up  on  the  wall  to,  perhaps,  within  an  inch, 
or  thereabouts,  of  the  coronet;  and  of  course  to  make  it  look 
right  the  rasping  must  be  continued  all  the  way  around  to 
the  same  height,  when  by  a  liberal  application  of  saliva,  and 
a  rub  with  the  hand  or  corner  of  the  apron,  or  sometimes 
with  a  dampened  sponge  kept  for  the  purpose,  the  injury  to 
the  enamel  is  to  some  extent  concealed  temporarily,  and  the 
horse  is  pronounced  well  shod. 

What  is  the  result  ? 

The  small  stones  which  strike  the  sole  cause  the  horse  to 
flinch  and  finally  to  go  almost  continually  lame,  or  at  least 
with  an  uncertain  gait,  caused  in  part  by  actual  hurt  and 
partly  from  fear  of  being  hurt.  There  is  a  tendency  of  the 
ankles  to  turn  in,  and  also  at  the  knee,  at  each  successive 
step,  owing  to  the  lessened  amount  of  ground  bearing  which 
the  foot  has  on  its  inner  half.    Half  ?   No  ;  too  much  has 


20 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


been  cut  away,  and  with  the  inequality  of  surface  on  which 
the  foot  must  be  placed  in  traveling-  the  greater  amount  of 
surface  covered  by  that  portion  of  the  foot  outside  of  the 
frog  than  inside,  the  greater  distance  from  the  center  out 
acting  as  a  powerful  lever,  the  ankles  and  knees  are  deflect- 
ed inward  so  much  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  the  passing 
foot  to  g-et  by  without  hitting*. 

Here  we  have  an  interfering  horse,  hitting  every  ankle 
and  both  knees  as  a  direct,  unmistakable  result  of  shoeing ; 
and  the  worst  of  it  is,  from  just  the  shoeing  which  is  so 
generally  believed  to  be  a  preventive  of  interfering,  and 
which  will  be  persisted  in  until  the  horse  becomes  a  perfect 
cripple  unless  "booted  all  over,"  while  the  walls  of  such 
feet,  denuded  of  the  enamel,  and  at  every  shoeing  losing 
more  and  more  of  their  substance  through  the  use  of  the 
rasp,  will  become  so  split  as  to  make  it  difficult  to  find  a 
sound  place  for  a  nail. 

It  is  not  cutting  away  the  little  which  may  be  cut  from 
the  inside  of  the  foot  that  insures  its  passing  the  ankle  or 
knee  without  hitting,  but  it  is  the  position  of  the  knee  or 
ankle  relative  to  the  line  of  motion  of  the  foot  in  passing 
which  has  the  greatest  influence.  Who  says,  "  Everybody 
knows  that  "  ?  Who  says,  "  That's  just  wrhy  we  shoe  in  the 
way  you  condemn"  ?  Well,  then,  tell  me  why  this  horse 
began  to  interfere  almost  from  the  moment  he  left  your 
shop,  and  in  driving  ten  miles  had  bloody  ankles,  laying 
the  foundation  for  a  callous  spot  on  each  ankle,  where  no 
hair  will  ever  again  grow,  while  he  had  not  a  mark  of  this 
kind  before  you  took  him  in  hand  ? 

Shoeing  Horses. 

Said  a  driver  of  trotting  horses  to  the  writer,  in  speak- 
ing of  a  valuable  trotting  mare  which  was  beaten  in 
straight  heats  three  weeks  ago :  "  When  I  took  her,  directly 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


<2l 


after  the  race,  I  found  her  feet  so  soft  from  having-  been 
stuffed  with  linseed  meal  that  she  actually  could  not  go 
without  flinching*,  and  the  smell  from  her  feet  was  enough 
to  knock  one  over." 

Said  I,  "  Did  you  not  drive  this  mare  yesterday  against 
the  same  horse  that  beat  her  in  straight  heats  three  weeks 
ago?" 

"  I  did/'  he  replied,  "  and  she  won  in  three  heats,  under 
a  good  pull  all  the  way,  and  is  going-  now  as  sound  as  a 
colt.  She  wants  no  stuffing  of  feet ;  just  '  tub  her  out '  once 
in  a  while.    It  doesn't  do  to  keep  a  horse's  feet  too  soft." 

One  writer  says  :  "I  have  found  more  trouble  caused  by 
not  cutting  enough  than  by  cutting  too  much ;  I  like  to  see 
all  dead  tissue  cut  away." 

Into  just  such  hands  a  friend  of  mine  fell  who  had  a  good 
road  horse  that  could  trot  in  about  two-thirty,  and  a  sound- 
going  one  she  was,  as  sure-footed  as  a  deer.  Not  long 
after  the  "cutting  away  of  all  dead  tissue"  began,  this 
well-shod  animal  with  good  feet  surprised  her  driver  by 
falling  down,  and  in  the  space  of  six  months  fell  five  or  six 
times,  while  in  traveling  she  often  flinched  as  though  her 
fore-feet  were  tender.  ' 6  Stop  cutting,"  said  a  man  whose 
advice  was  asked.  The  cutting  was  stopped,  except  to  cut 
from  the  wall  enough  at  each  shoeing  to  keep  pace  with  the 
growth,  leaving  the  sole  untouched,  and  this  valuable  horse 
is  just  as  good  and  sure-footed  as  ever  again. 

"  Fitted  with  a  bearing  all  around  the  wall  except  the 
heels,"  says  this  writer,  and  he  continues:  "George  in 
shoeing  a  horse  forward  fitted  the  shoes  lightly  on  the 
heel." 

Now,  there  can  be  no  more  reprehensible  practice  in  shoe- 
ing than  this  of  fitting  a  shoe  so  that  when  nailed  on,  and 
drawn  home  and  clinched,  there  is  an  open  space  between 
the  shoe  and  the  heels  of  all  the  way  from  one-sixteenth  of 
an  inch  to  a  full  quarter  of  an  inch,  this  space  growing  less 


22 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


as  it  goes  forward  from  the  heel  until  finally  at  some  point 
away  around  at  the  side  of  the  foot  the  shoe  bears. 

I  heard  a  blacksmith  say,  not  long-  since,  that  "  some  men 
were  cranks  on  horseshoeing."  Perhaps  I  am  one.  I  have, 
at  least,  decided  opinions  about  this  matter  of  a  level  bear- 
ing of  the  shoe  all  over  the  entire  wall,  and,  above  all,  at 
the  heel.  I  have  many  times  seen  that  kind  of  fitting  which 
would  permit  a  case-knife  to  pass  between  the  hoof  and  the 
shoe  at  a  point  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  inches,  and  even 
three  inches,  forward  from  where  the  extreme  point  of  the 
heel  should  have  rested  on  the  shoe,  but  did  not  touch  it 
within  an  eighth  of  an  inch,  and  in  extreme  cases  an  open 
space  was  shown  of  from  three-sixteenths  to  one- quarter 
inch  at  the  heel.  It  is  often  the  case  that  this  condition  ap- 
plies to  the  inner  quarter  and  heel  onty,  or,  more  correctly 
speaking,  the  opening  is  hardly  ever  alike  as  between  the 
inside  and  outside  quarter. 

If  the  man  who  fits  shoes  thus  is  asked  why  he  does  it, 
he  says,  "That  horse  has  corns,  and  by  cutting  away  the 
hoof,  wall,  sole,  and  braces  on  the  inside  quarter  it  relieves 
the  pressure."  Yes,  and  produces  an  undue  strain  in  the 
foot,  as  the  weight  is  brought  to  bear  at  each  step  taken,  or 
for  every  moment  of  time  in  which  the  horse  stands.  Lift 
a  foot  thus  shod  and  note  the  space  between  hoof  and 
shoe,  and  then,  letting  the  foot  rest  on  the  ground  or  a 
level  floor,  let  an  assistant  raise  the  other  foot,  thereby 
throwing  the  weight  upon  the  foot  under  examination. 
Why  !  The  shoe  springs  up  to  the  foot  !  No,  the  foot 
springs  down  to  the  shoe.  Well,  anyhow,  the  space  be- 
tween is  no  longer  to  be  seen  ;  the  foot  rests  on  the  shoe. 
Just  here  the  man  who  puts  the  shoe  on  says  :  "  Well,  what 
do  you  want  ?  It  comes  down  as  soon  as  the  weight  comes 
on  it." 

I  want  the  shoe  and  foot  both  level,  so  that  they  come  to- 
gether evenly  all  the  way  aroujid  from  toe  to  heel,  and  I 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER.  23 

don't  want  the  man  who  pares  the  foot  to  shorten  the  bear- 
ing* at  the  heel  by  cutting*  off  that  extreme  back  corner, 
which  is  done  so  dexterously  by  a  turn  of  the  wrist,  and 
with  such  a  mixture  of  profound  satisfaction  and  malice 
aforethought. 

If  the  weight  thrown  upon  the  foot  tends  to  expand  and 
produce  action  in  the  back  part  of  the  foot,  varying*  in 
amount  just  as  the  weig'ht  brought  to  bear  is  greater  or  less, 
or  as  the  impact  is  more  or  less  violent  as  between  walking* 
and  varying  rates  of  speed  up  to  the  horse's  gait,  is  it  not 
plain  that  the  best  condition  in  which  to  place  the  foot  is  on 
a  plain  level  bearing,  and,  further,  is  it  not  plain  that  this 
mischievous  space  between  hoof  and  shoe  must  become,  as 
the  horse  is  driven,  a  receptacle  for  dirt  and  gravel,  the  bear- 
ing of  which  on  the  seat  of  corn  cannot  be  otherwise  than 
injurious  ?  How  would  a  man  like  it,  I  wonder,  to  wear  a 
pair  of  boots  with  two-thirds  of  the  length  of  the  boot  from 
the  toes  back  strapped  firmly  to  a  bearing  fitting  the  con- 
tour of  that  part  of  the  foot,  while  back  of  this  part  of  the 
foot  was  a  depression  in  the  insole  of  such  magnitude  that 
the  heel  could  only  reach  any  bearing  by  the  foot  springing 
out  of  its  natural  shape,  the  sole  of  the  boot  being  made 
rigid  ?  But,  to  complete  the  parallel,  let  us  take  off  the 
counter  from  this  boot,  so  that  the  dirt  and  gravel  shall  have 
free  access  to  the  bearing  on  which  the  heel  must  come  if  it 
bears  at  all.  How  would  a  man  walk  shod  thus  ?  His  feet 
would  soon  be  so  sore  that  he  would  be  afraid  to  put  them 
to  the  ground,  and  any  inequalities  in  the  surface  which 
caused  this  rigid  sole  to  which  his  foot  was  strapped  to  be. 
elevated  at  the  heel,  or  turned  to  one  side,  or,  in  fact,  the 
slightest  deviation  from  a  level  plain  bearing  of  these  hoofs 
upon  the  ground,  would  cause  additional  pain.  Shoe  a  horse 
as  I  have  described,  and  watch  his  gait,  and  say  whether 
the  parallel  is  not  complete.  One  shoeing  has  changed 
many  a  horse  from  an  easy-gaited,  sure-footed  traveler  to  a 


24  THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 

tender-footed,  uncertain-gaited  stmnbler  that  flinches  every 
time  the  feet  touch  a  stone  or  uneven  spot  in  the  road, 
until  the  ever-present  dread  of  hurting  the  feet  on  the 
part  of  the  horse  destroys  all  pleasure  on  the  part  of  the 
driver. 

I  am  contradicting  the  authorities,  I  know,  but  I  once  had 
a  horse  shod  for  quarter  cracks  according  to  the  popular 
idea,  "  Feet  cut  away  to  remove  all  pressure  from  the  parts 
affected."  It  was  a  bad  case,  two  cracks  in  each  foot,  both 
sides  of  both  feet  cracked.  "  Old  Ben  "  went  so  lame  that 
I  was  ashamed  to  drive  him.  I  took  him  back  after  a  few 
days  to  the  man  who  had  cut  away  his  feet  and  shod  him. 
I  said : 

"  This  horse  can't  go,  so  I  want  these  shoes  taken  olf,  and 
his  feet  pared  level ;  then  I  want  a  pair  of  good  thick  shoes 
of  equal  thickness  all  the  way  around  put  on  so  that  they 
will  bear  evenly  from  toe  to  heel,  the  shoe  and  hoof  coming 
together  evenly  all  the  way  around  just  as  any  two  level 
surfaces  must ;  then  when  the  weight  is  thrown  upon  the 
feet  there  will  be  no  unequal  strain  set  up." 

Did  P.  K. — counted  the  best  shoer  in  town— see  the  point  ? 
No,  he  did  not.  He  said,  "  You  can't  pare  those  feet  down 
enough  now  to  make  them  level  without  paring  too  much; 
you  will  have  to  wait  till  they  grow.  Besides,  if  the  feet 
could  be  pared  and  shod  according  to  your  idea  you  could 
not  drive  the  horse  at  all.  In  fact,  I  don't  believe  you  could 
get  him  home  ;  you  had  better  let  him  be  as  he  is.  I  think, 
with  my  experience  in  horseshoeing,  you  ought  to  be  will- 
ing to  admit  that  my  judgment  is  better  on  the  subject  than 
yours." 

Said  I :  "  The  horse  is  mine ;  if  he  can't  go  after  shoeing 
in  any  way  he  may  stand  still,  and  if  you  shoe  him  accord- 
ing to  my  instructions  you  shall  take  none  of  the  blame  if 
he  is  worse  for  it."  The  bar  shoes  were  removed  and  care- 
fully preserved  by  the  shoer,  who  said:  "  You  will  want  them 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


25 


again  to-morrow."  A  pair  of  heavy  plain  shoes  were  put 
on  which  fitted  "  to  a  shaving."  Old  Ben  started  out  with- 
out a  spmblance  of  lameness.  I  used  him  for  a  year  and  his 
feet  grew  out  sound.  He  could  pull  two  men  to  a  top  car- 
riage in  two-fifty,  and  his  walking  gait  was  five  miles  per 
hour.  What  a  roadster  he  was  !  How  near  he  came  to  being 
ruined  I— By  S.  W.  G. 

Practical  Horseshoeing. 

My  experience  in  horseshoeing,  which  extends  over  quite 
a  number  of  years,  teaches  me  that  there  can  be  no  arbi- 
trary rules  laid  down  by  which  we  must  work  in  shoeing 
horses. 

There  are  as  many  different  shapes  of  feet  in  horses  as 
there  are  the  human  family,  and  as  many  different  gaits, 
all  of  which  require  a  different  shoe  and  a  different  style  of 
shoeing. 

First,  there  is  the  draught  horse,  which  usually  has  a  large 
round  hoof,  and  needs  a  strong,  heavy  shoe  well  chamfered 
out  on  the  inside  next  to  the  sole.  His  foot  in  a  state  of 
health,  in  our  climate,  is  nearly  always  very  hard,  so  I  take 
great  pains  in  paring  the  sole.  I  do  not  cut  out  all  the  horn, 
as  some  do;  I  take  out  the  dead  sole,  but  do  not  pare  so  thin 
that  I  can  spring  it  with  my  thumb  nail,  as  I  think  that  is 
too  thin  to  prevent  injury  to  the  sole  by  stubs  or  stones,  and 
will  bring  ice  and  snow  in  too  close  contact  with  the  sensi- 
tive sole. 

I  make  a  shoe  the  shape  of  the  foot  and  as  large  as  I  can 
nail  on,  bringing  it  around  under  the  heel  just  sufficient  to 
get  a  good  bearing  on  the  crust  of  the  hoof,  but  not  close 
enough  to  injure  the  frog.  As  much  injury  can  be  done  by 
shoeing  too  wide  as  by  shoeing  too  close  at  the  heels. 

I  let  the  shoe  extend  back  of  the  heels  from  three-eighths 
to  one-half  inch,  and  where  they  are  calked  I  slant  the  calks 


26 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


at  the  heels  a  little  back  and  the  toe  calk  a  little  forward. 
Where  the  horse  is  kept  on  shoes  all  the  time  I  use  a  toe  clip; 
but  where  he  runs  barefoot  all  the  summer  I  consider  a  toe 
clip  a  positive  injury,  as  the  hoof  is  very  liable  to  crack  where 
clip  sets  in  when  the  horse  is  turned  barefoot  in  the  summer 
on  our  hard  roads. 

I  use  a  nail  as  small  as  I  dare,  because  it  is  less  liable  to 
tear  the  hoof.  I  drive  the  nails  well  up  into  the  hoof,  which 
I  am  able  to  do  because  the  shoe  is  fully  as  large  as  the  foot. 
I  clinch  or  draw  them  down  very  tightly,  and,  if  the  foot  is 
perfectly  level,  tight  drawing  will  not  do  any  harm.  I  cut 
the  clinches  quite  short  and  rasp  them  to  an  edge,  but  do 
not  cut  into  the  nail  with  the  corner  of  the  rasp  or  cut  a  fur- 
row into  the  hoof. 

In  clinching  down  I  pound  down  the  clinch  with  my  ham- 
mer, being  careful  to  strike  equally  down  toward  the  head 
of  the  nail,  as  if  I  were  riveting  it  ;  and  if  any  of  the  nail 
sticks  out  I  rasp  it  off,  but  never  try  to  drive  it  into  the  hoof 
as  a  wrought  nail  is  driven  into  a  pine  board,  as  that  will 
alwaj^s  loosen  the  shoe.  I  do  as  little  rasping  as  possible, 
believing  it  to  be  an  injury  to  the  hoof. 

I  always  begin  to  nail  at  the  toe  and  nail  backward,  as 
this  will  expand  the  hoof;  and  if  the  horse  is  hoof-bound, 
by  careful  driving  of  the  nails  the  hoof  can  be  spread  all  the 
horse  needs  or  can  stand.  In  this  way  I  have  cured  several 
cases  of  hoof-bound.  It  is  much  better  than  spreading  the 
shoe  after  nailing  on. 

In  shoeing  livery  or  buggy  horses  I  use  as  light  a  shoe  as 
I  can  get.  I  make  the  calks,  if  any  are  required,  very  small 
and  short,  and  I  file  the  shoe  bright  and  smooth,  and  then  file 
the  corner  off  the  upper  side,  so  that  when  it  is  on  there  is  a 
bright  strip  around  the  shoe  next  the  foot  about  the  size  of 
a  No.  12  wire.  This  is  a  great  improvement  in  the  looks  of 
the  foot.  I  generally  fit  a  shoe  hot,  unless  the  owner  objects, 
as  he  sometimes  does,  but  I  only  touch  the  foot  writh  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


27 


shoe  enough  to  see  where  to  cut  to  make  a  good,  tight,  level 
fit.    I  never  burn  the  shoe  into  the  hoof. 

When  a  horse  interferes,  I  pare  the  foot  a  little  the  low- 
est on  the  outside,  turn  the  inside  calk  just  as  usual,  weld  a 
long*  calk  on  the  outside  line  of  the  shoe,  leaving  it  the  full 
length,  and  place  the  toe  calk  a  little  to  the  inside  of  the 
center.  This  seldom  fails  to  prevent  striking  where  the  leg 
is  not  swollen. 

I  have  never  made  the  shoeing  of  race  horses  a  study  as  I 
have  the  shoeing  of  draught,  livery,  and  stage  horses. — By 
B.  N.  S. 

Horseshoeing. 

I  have  found,  in  my  twenty-five  years'  experience  in  black- 
smithing  and  horseshoeing,  that  n©  work  comes  in  the  shop 
that  requires  more  care,  thought,  and  investigation  than 
horseshoeing. 

The  first  thing  to  consider  is  preparing  the  foot  for  the 
shoe.  I  think  there  can  be  more  harm  done  by  doing  too 
much  at  this  stage  of  the  job  than  in  doing  too  little.  But 
it  is  impossible  to  frame  any  rules  that  would  be  applicable 
to  all  feet,  for  the  upright  or  arched  foot  requires  very 
different  treatment  from  that  necessary  for  a  flat  foot  with 
a  low  heel.  In  the  arched  foot  the  horn  grows  very  fast, 
especially  on  the  sole  and  towards  the  toe,  and  if  the  shoe 
has  been  on  the  foot  for  a  considerable  length  of  time  it 
wrill  be  necessary  to  use  the  knife  and  rasp  quite  freety. 
But  in  the  flat  foot  the  horn  grows  very  sparingly,  and  con- 
sequently the  knife  and  rasp  should  be  used  with  caution. 
In  preparing  the  upright  foot  for  the  shoe,  the  dead  horn 
should  be  removed  from  the  sole  first.  It  will  usually  come 
off  in  flakes  and  scales.  When  it  has  been  removed,  you 
will  have  a  fair  idea  of  how  much  should  be  taken  from  the 
wall.  In  all  cases  I  think  it  best  not  to  interfere  much  with 


28 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


the  bars  or  the  frog",  for  these  are  very  important  parts  of 
the  foot.  Yet  how  often  has  a  foot  been  contracted  by  the 
cutting-  away  of  these  important  parts  !  Then  the  smith  will 
too  often  resort  to  some  cruel  mechanical  device  for  opening- 
the  heels. 

It  has  been  said,  with  truth,  that  the  nailing-  of  an  iron 
shoe  on  the  foot  of  a  living-  horse  is  an  unnatural  thing  to 
do,  but,  as  it  must  be  done,  let  us,  fellow-craftsmen,  strive  to 
do  it  in  the  most  natural  way  possible.  And  to  do  this  we 
must  first  get  the  foot  as  near  as  we  can  to  its  natural 
shape,  and  then  make  the  shoe  to  fit  the  foot.  Keep  it  full 
with  the  wall  from  the  quarter  to  the  heel,  and  I  think  it  is 
very  important  that  the  shoe  should  bear  only  on  the  wall 
of  the  foot.  Use  as  small  a  nail  as  possible  and  punch  the 
holes  large  enough,  so  the  nails  will  not  bend  in  them.  I 
would  recommend  punching  the  holes  to  suit  the  angle  of 
the  foot — that  is,  if  the  foot  is  an  upright  one,  let  the  holes 
be  almost  through.  But  if  the  foot  is  flat,  make  the  hole 
slant  inwardly  to  suit  the  greater  angle  of  the  foot. — By 
W.  M. 

General  Directions  for  Shoeing  Horses. 

In  shoeing  horses  it  is  difficult  to  lay  down  a  rule  to 
apply  to  all  cases.  We  find  such  a  great  difference  in 
horses'  feet,  generally  speaking.  Even  in  single  cases  we 
find  no  two  feet  which  should  be  shod  exactly  tlie  same.  In 
the  first  place,  it  is  of  great  importance  to  the  shoer  to 
understand  the  nature  of  a  horse's  foot ;  then  he  can  very 
easily  tell  when  a  foot  is  in  a  right  position,  or  when  it 
is  misplaced.  When  he  understands  the  different  position 
of  the  bones,  tendons,  and  ligaments,  then  he  can  very 
easily  see  where  the  foot  needs  trimming.  Now,  there  is  not 
attention  enough  given  to  this  part  of  the  trade  of  shoeing. 

In  trimming  a  horse's  foot,  of  course  it  is  necessary  to 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


29 


know  which  part  is  high  and  which  is  low.  It  would  not 
do  for  me  to  say,  "  Trim  all  feet  alike/'  because  all  feet  are 
not  alike.  That  is  why  I  say  there  is  not  enough  attention 
given  to  placing  horses'  feet  in  the  right  position.  For  in- 
stance, a  horse  comes  to  the  shop,  and  the  owner  says : 
"This  horse  is  lame  and  I  want  you  to  shoe  him."  The 
smith  takes  off  the  shoes,  or  sets  his  man  at  it,  and  tells 
him  to  pare  the  feet.  He  does  so,  and  generally  takes  off 
as  much  in  one  place  as  in  another.  The  smith  then  fits 
the  shoes  level,  it  is  supposed,  and  they  are  driven  on.  The 
horse  goes  off  better,  perhaps,  for  a  day  or  two,  then  it  is 
the  same  trouble  over  again. 

Perhaps  the  horse  is  high  outside,  which  causes  a  mis- 
placed position  of  the  bones ;  then  nature  and  the  smith 
have  a  tug  of  war,  and  the  smith  generally  comes  out 
ahead,  for,  if  the  horse  is  not  square  on  his  feet,  he  certainly 
cannot  go  right.  We  ourselves  cannot  travel  easy  if  we 
are  traveling  all  on  one  side  of  our  shoes,  and  it  is  just  the 
same  with  a  horse,  except  that  the  poor  beast  cannot  tell  in 
words  where  the  sore  spot  is,  so  he  takes  the  only  course 
left  for  him — that  is,  to  limp  and  hobble  along. 

Some  owners  of  horses  like  to  have  their  horse's  feet  cut, 
but  a  very  little,  especially  the  frog  ;  but  I  have  found  more 
trouble  caused  by  not  cutting  enough  than  by  cutting  too 
much.  Some  will  say  :  "  Cut  the  wall  and  not  the  sole,"  but 
you  will  find  that  by  leaving  too  much  sole  it  will  leave  your 
frog  smaller— that  is,  it  cut^  off  the  supply  of  blood  from  the 
frog.  Besides,  too  much  frog  checks  the  growth  of  the  sole 
and  other  parts  of  the  foot. 

How  often  we  find  a  large,  prominent  frog  and  very  little 
sole,  and  that  very  dry  and  dead  and  chippjr,  no  life,  not 
enough  blood  to  support  and  feed  it.  I  like  to  see  all  dead 
tissue  cut  away.  Then  the  live  tissue  has  a  chance  to  grow. 

Of  course  nature  intends  the  feet  to  be  kept  soft.  The 
feet  of  horses  that  are  kept  on  dry,  hard  floors,  and  work 


30 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


on  pavements  and  dry  roads,  will  get  hard  and  dry.  Now, 
I  believe  thoroughly  in  stuffing-  horses'  feet.  Some  will  ask 
what  is  the  best  thing  to  pack  a  horse's  feet  with.  Some 
use  moss  and  watery  but  I  don't  like  it,  as  I  find  it  makes  a 
foot  grow  very  fast  but  very  thin,  and  consequently  very 
weak.  The  best  thing  I  know  of  for  keeping  the  heat  and 
fever  out  and  grow  a  good  solid  foot  is  salt  or  marsh  mud. 
If  it  cannot  be  got,  take  oil-meal  or  flaxseed  meal  and  make 
a  poultice.  Put  it  on  warm.  Use  it  every  night  until  you 
see  a  change,  which  will  be  before  long.  You  will  find  that 
it  will  give  your  horse  a  great  deal  of  comfort,  besides 
saving  a  large  amount  of  time  which  a  smith  has  to  spend 
in  trying  to  trim,  when  it  ought  to  take  only  a  very  little. 
Every  horse  owrner  who  loves  a'  good  horse  should  look 
carefully  after  this  matter,  as  a  smith  cannot  trim  a  foot 
properly  unless  it  is  in  a  healthy  condition. 

Another  important  point  in  trimming  is  to  commence 
early.  This  week  I  have  seen  two  young  colts  trimmed, 
one  nine  and  the  other  nineteen  months  old.  They  were 
both  trimmed  last  fall,  and  the  colt  nine  months  old  had 
the  most  perfect  feet.  Let  a  colt  run  until  he  is  three  years 
old,  and  you  not  only  have  imperfect  feet,  but  you  have  a 
bad  colt  to  shoe  where  you  might  have  had  a  lamb  for 
gentleness.  They  should  get  used  to  the  shop  and  to  having 
their  feet  handled.  I  have  seen  some  colts,  three  and  four 
years  old,  so  bad  to  shoe  that  it  seemed  almost  impossible 
to  do  anything  with  them. 

Youth  is  the  time  when  so  many  colts  are  spoiled  for 
shoeing  ever  after,  for  the  lesson  they  learn  in  the  black- 
smith shop  when  they  are  young  they  never  forget.  If 
they  experience  kindness  they  will  not  show  fear.  If  they 
meet  with  abuse,  then  it  is  trouble  you  will  get  with  the 
most  of  them  afterward.  I  have  seen  colts,  and  even  old 
horses,  all  right  until  they  got  to  the  shop,  and  then  they 
were  ready  for  almost  anything  except  what  you  wanted  of 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


31 


them.  Don't  ever  abuse  the  colt,  then  you  will  never  have 
to  abuse  the  horse. 

Here  is  a  common  incident :  John  is  shoeing  a  horse,  a 
very  lively  piece  of  horse  flesh.  He  goes  up  to  him  on  the 
rush,  grabs  the  leg,  and  tries  to  get  the  foot  in  a  position  to 
take  the  shoe  off ;  but  the  first  thing  he  knows  he  is  doubled 
over  his  box  and  sprawling  on  the  floor.  The  next  thing 
he  does  is  to  grab  a  cudgel  or  his  hammer  and  attempt  to 
beat  into  that  horse  the  idea  that  he  has  done  something 
wrong,  but  the  horse  can't  see  it  in  that  light.  He  is  all 
ready  for  fighting  now,  and  every  blow  John  strikes  he 
tries  to  return,  but  he  is  tied  in  such  a  manner  he  cannot 
make  much  return.  He  jumps  from  one  side  to  the  other 
and  thrashes  things  in  general.  John  thinks  he  will  now 
do  just  what  he  tells  him,  so  he  picks  up  that  foot  again, 
but  the  next  thing  he  knows  he  is  trjang  to  stand  on  his 
head  on  the  pile  of  old  shoes.  John  is  very  mad  now.  He 
is  going  to  make  that  horse  stand  anyway,  if  he  works  all 
day.  This  time  he  is  a  little  afraid,  so  he  goes  up  to  that 
horse  careful,  but  the  horse  doesn't  believe  in  it,  and  John 
finds  that  the  horse  has  got  the  best  of  him;  he  won't  be 
coaxed  nor  petted;  he  is  mad,  too,  now,  and  John  gives 
it  up,  saying,  "He's  an  ugly  beast,  and  can't  be  shod." 
Well,  that  horse  must  be  shod,  but  John  has  got  all  he 
wants  of  the  job.  Jack  comes  along  and  sa37s :  "Why 
don't  you  rope  him,  or  tie  one  leg  to  his  jaw  ?"  The  horse 
is  roped  and  tied  so  he  cannot  kick  or  plunge  without  fall- 
ing. The  horse  stands  and  they  shoe  him,  but  it  is  hard 
work  and  takes  time  and  makes  men  bad-tempered,  besides 
spoiling  the  horse's  disposition. 

The  next  time  that  horse  is  shod  John  isn't  around,  so 
George  takes  hold  of  him.  He  tries  to  kick  him,  but  George 
won't  let  him,  but  steps  up  to  him  and  pats  him,  and  tries 
to  coax  him.  The  horse  says:  "No,  sir;  I  am  all  ready  to 
fight."    But  George  says:  "  I  won't  fight."    So  he  sends 


32 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


a  boy  out  for  a  quart  of  apples,  and  takes  a  couple  of  them 
and  gives  one  to  the  horse. 

Well,  now,  that  is  a  surprise  party  to  that  beast.  He 
doesn't  think  best  to  give  up  yet,  so  George  gets  some 
sugar  and  more  apples  and  gives  them  to  him,  and  shoes 
him,  not  without  some  trouble,  but  with  nothing  like  what 
John  experienced.  He  says  the  next  time  he  shoes  that 
horse  he  will  stand  first-rate,  and  we  think  he  will. 

That  man  is  worth  two  like  John  for  work.  Customers 
that  love  their  horses  like  to  see  them  used  well,  and  those 
are  the  men  who  usually  pay  well  for  having  their  horses 
shod,  and  no  man  ought  to  have  a  horse  who  will  abuse  it 
himself  or  allow  others  to  do  so  in  shoeing  or  any  other 
way. 

George  was  shoeing  another  horse  afterward.  He  went 
to  work  and  trimmed  his  feet  carefully  where  they  needed 
it,  and  in  trimming  he  found  one  hind  foot  broken  and  torn 
away,  so  he  couldn't  trim  it  much.  Well,  he  didn't  go  to 
work  and  put  on  a  pair  of  great  heavy  shoes  which  took 
spikes  to  hold  them  there,  but  he  got  a  nice  pair  of  steel 
ones  which  were  lighter  and  yet  stiff  and  wouldn't  bend  and 
give  way  every  time  the  horse  started  up.  Then  he  fitted 
them  up  neatly,  and  cooled  them  off  when  he  fitted  them  to 
the  horse's  feet,  not  hot  enough  to  burn  anywhere,  but  just 
to  mark  for  his  clip-cutting.  Then  he  filed  those  shoes,  the 
edges  especially,  so  there  wouldn't  be  any  thing  rough  to 
cut  his  legs  with.  In  punching  those  shoes  he  did  it  very 
fine  and  small,  so  when  he  got  readj^to  drive  them  he  could 
drive  a  very  small  nail  and  hold  his  shoes  on  until  they  were 
worn  out.  He  commenced  with  the  toe-nails  and  worked 
back.  He  didn't  work  as  if  he  were  driving  those  nails  into 
a  block  of  wood.  He  seemed  to  feel  that  he  could  hurt  that 
horse  if  he  wasn't  careful.  When  he  had  them  driven  on, 
the  horse  stepped  down  on  that  foot  as  if  he  liked  the  shoe 
and  knew  it  was  put  there  for  his  benefit.    Then  he  finished 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


33 


it  up,  and  in  filing*  under  his  nails  was  careful  not  to  weaken 
the  clinch,  but  left  it  just  as  strong*  as  he  could.  In  ham- 
mering* the  clinches,  the  nails  being*  small,  he  didn't  have 
to  do  so  much  pounding*  to  g*et  them  bedded.  He  set  those 
clinches  down  with  the  body  of  the  nail  and  riveted  them, 
not  simply  bending*  them  over  and  hammering*  them  flat, 
because  then  they  would  spring*  and  not  bed  in  the  horn, 
and  would  work  loose  and  show  up  in  a  little  while,  and 
perhaps  set  the  horse  to  cutting  his  ankles.  Then  he  filed 
them  off  smooth,  and  he  had  a  nice  small,  strong*  clinch. 
He  didn't  use  the  file  or  rasp  over  the  whole  of  that  foot, 
but  took  off  the  roug*h  horn  below  the  nails,  and  the  place 
where  he  stepped  on  his  foot  with  a  sharp  calk,  filing*  very 
smooth  and  thin  so  as  to  give  the  foot  a  chance  to  g*row 
solid  and  strong*  and  not  keep  cracking*  all  of  the  time  to 
finally  end  in  a  seam  in  the  foot  half  way  round  his  quarters 
— a  bad  foot  to  put  nails  into. 

Then  he  g*ot  a  pair  of  shoes  somewhat  wider  in  the  web 
for  his  forward  feet  and  somewhat  heavier.  Those  shoes 
were  concave,  so  they  would  not  bear  on  the  sole.  He  fitted 
them  light  on  the  heels.  He  used  about  one  size  larger  of 
nails  and  drove  them  carefully  as  with  the  hind  ones,  using* 
only  six  nails.  He  didn't  want  to  tie  his  foot  too  tig*ht  and 
have  the  nails  too  far  back  on  the  quarter  where  it  was  very 
meaty.  He  put  two  clips  on  these  shoes,  too,  and  quarter 
clips  which  held  almost  as  much  as  the  nails,  and  kept  the 
foot  solid,  and  took  the  greater  part  of  the  strain  off  the 
nails. 

Great  care  should  be  taken  to  fit  shoes  level  on  the  feet, 
as  it  is  impossible  to  keep  shoes  on  tight  or  long  unless  they 
are  fitted  with  a  bearing  all  around  the  wall  except  the  heels. 
A  foot  may  be  made  to  look  quite  nice  by  filing  it  all  over 
on  the  outside,  but  it  is  not  good  for  the  foot. 

Where  there  is  an  overgrowth  of  toe  and  a  very  thick  wall 
it  is  always  best  to  thin  it  down  and  weaken  it,  but  it  is  not 


34 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


so  necessary  to  do  so  any  farther  than  up  to  the  hair ;  it 
checks  the  growth  of  the  wall,  makes  it  grow  very  thin  and 
also  very  slow. 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  on  the  failure  of  horse  owners 
to  keep  their  horses'  feet  in  a  growing5  condition.  A  foot 
never  grows  but  perishes  when  allowed  to  get  dry  and  hard. 
Keep  the  feet  as  soft  as  practicable,  and  you  will  keep  them 
growing  and  overcome  many  difficulties  which  are  not 
thought  of  in  the  general  line  of  horseshoeing. — By 
W.  B. 

Rules  for  Horseshoeing. 

There  is  great  diversity  of  opinion  existing  among  smiths 
with  regard  to  the  best  method  of  applying  shoes  to  horses' 
feet.  It  is  my  belief  that  the  best  stystem  is  that  which 
interferes  least  with  the  natural  functions,  position,  and  ac- 
tion of  the  feet.  I  favor  a  shoe  which  affords  the  most  pro- 
tection to  the  foot  and  yet  allows  the  frog  to  come  in  contact 
with  the  ground. 

No  specific  rule  can  be  obtained  in  the  general  art  of  shoe- 
ing, for  the  simple  reason  that  the  feet  differ  very  much 
under  the  conditions  of  health  and  disease  ;  hence  a  certain 
form  of  shoe  well  adapted  to  meet  the  requirements  of  one 
condition  might  prove  positively  injurious  in  another,  as  is 
often  the  case. 

It  is  generally  understood  that  the  hoof  is  sufficiently 
elastic  to  guard  against  the  jar  and  concussion  which  oc- 
cur every  time  the  horse's  feet  are  planted  on  the  ground. 
This  elasticity,  as  observed  in  a  healthy  and  unfettered  hoof, 
occurs  in  downward  and  backward  directions.  It  is  scarcely 
perceptible,  yet  wisely  is  it  so  ordained,  for  if  there  was 
much  expansibility  or  lateral  motion  to  the  hoof  it  would 
prove  ruinous  to  the  foot,  and  the  chances  of  securing'  a  shoe 
to  it  without  positive  inju^  would  be  very  small.  Nature 
has  provided  this  elasticity  by  leaving  the  hoof  open  at  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


35 


heels,  between  which  is  interposed  a  soft,  elastic  substance 
known  as  the  frog*. 

The  parts  within  the  hoof  known  as  the  laminae,  or  leaves, 
articulate  with  each  other,  and  the  extent  of  their  articula- 
tion corresponds  with  the  contraction  and  expansion  of  the 
hoof,  modified,  of  course,  under  the  influence  of  partial  or 
complete  pressure  while  traveling-.  Now,  in  order  to  favor 
this  physiological  action  of  the  foot  the  nails  must  not  be 
inserted  any  nearer  the  heels  than  the  safety  of  the  shoe 
requires ;  for  should  the  shoe  be  nailed  all  around,  as  the 
saying*  is,  the  hoof,  at  its  solar  border,  is  fettered ;  hence 
the  action  of  articulation  cannot  occur,  and  the  horse  soon 
becomes  lame.  If  possible  the  frog-  should  be  allowed  to 
come  in  contact  with  the  ground,  for  it  acts  as  a  pad  and 
very  much  lessens  the  jar  or  concussion  which  otherwise 
must  necessarily  occur.  The  nature  of  the  ground  over 
which  the  animal  travels  determines  the  form,  character, 
and  endurance  of  the  frog-.  Thus  in  the  unshod  colt  we 
usually,  in  a  healthy  foot,  find  the  frog-  well  formed,  promi- 
nent, and  callous  ;  this  is  the  result  of  the  stimulating-  hard 
knocks  it  receives  when  traveling-.  On  the  other  hand, 
should  we  examine  some  horses'  feet  after  they  have  been 
long-  submitted  to  the  evils  of  domestication  (which  include 
faulty  shoeing),  we  shall  find  that  the  frog-  is  often  imperfect, 
both  in  function  and  structure.  I  would  not  have  any  one 
infer  from  these  remarks  that  the  blacksmith  is  always 
blamable  for  the  loss  of  the  frog-,  etc.,  for  in  the  wrinter, 
when  the  roads  are  a  mass  of  sleet  and  ice,  calks  seem  to  be 
necessary,  and,  under  such  circumstances,  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  bring*  the  frog-  in  contact  with  the  ground ;  hence 
it  may  deteriorate. 

Then,  ag-ain,  there  are  various  diseases  of  the  foot  which 
interfere  with  the  integrity  of  the  frog  as  well  as  that  of 
other  parts  which  enter  into  the  composition  of  a  horse's 
foot.    It  is  the  custom  of  some  shoers  to  cut  away  the  frog. 


36 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


There  are  several  reasons  why  a  large  portion  of  the  frog* 
should  not  be  removed,  and  I  will  briefly  allude  to  some  of 
them.  In  the  healthy  frog*  there  is  a  solid,  wedge-like  por- 
tion of  horn,  extending*  from  the  cleft  to  the  point  of  the 
same.  It  lies  directly  under  that  small  yet  very  important 
bone  known  as  the  "  navicular/'  and  this  bone  and  its  con- 
tiguous tissues  often  become  the  seat  of  a  very  painful 
disease.  This  disease  often  arises  in  consequence  of  remov- 
ing the  bulbous  prolongation  termed  the  anterior  point  and 
bulb  of  the  frog,  the  function  of  which  is  to  protect,  to  a 
certain  extent,  this  bone  and  the  sensitive  parts  connected 
with  it  from  the  injuries  which  might  otherwise  occur  when 
the  animal  is  made  to  travel  fast  over  hard  and  uneven 
roads.  The  intelligent  shoer  is  certainly  aware  that  if  the 
frog  be  cut  away,  so  that  nothing  but  the  shoe  comes  in 
contact  with  the  earth,  the  body  of  the  animal  has  little  if 
any  sole  support.  Hence  arises  a  strain  on  the  laminae,  and 
finally  the  descent  of  the  sole. 

When  preparing  the  foot  in  view  of  applying  the  shoe,  it 
may  be  proper  to  remove  just  about  as  much  of  loose  and 
rough  portions  of  the  frog  as  the  animal  might  wear  off 
provided  he  were  not  shod  ;  and  yet,  according  to  the  testi- 
mony of  eminent  authorities,  this  is  not  always  good  policy, 
for  these  ragged-looking  parts  usually  serve  as  a  protection 
to  new  formations  beneath,  and  should  not  be  removed  until 
the  latter  are  perfected. — By  C.  A.  S. 

Observations  on  Horseshoeing. 

Is  it  proper  that  a  horse  should  be  shod  ?  Ought  a  man 
to  go  without  shoes  because  he  was  born  barefooted  ?  In 
answer  to  the  first  question  I  would  say  that  the  labor  that 
is  imposed  upon  a  horse,  and  the  character  of  the  roadway 
over  which  he  is  driven,  make  it  necessary  that  he  should 
be  shod  for  protection  to  his  hoofs.  It  is  a  well-ascertained 
fact  that  on  pavement,  iron  shoe  and  iron  toe,  calks  are  pre- 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


37 


ferable,  as  far  as  advantage  of  footing'  to  the  horse  are  con- 
cerned. The  adhesion  of  iron  toe  calks  is  a  material  advan- 
tage. He  is  not  as  liable  to  slip  as  when  the  calks  are  of 
steel.  I  speak  of  roadways  free  from  ice.  The  hardened 
nature  of  steel  deprives  it  of  that  property  of  friction  which 
soft  iron  has  when  coming  in  contact  with  stone  pavements. 
The  slipping  of  a  horse's  shoe  often  strikes  sparks  upon  the 
pavement.  Can  such  sudden  slips  he  favorable  to  the  horse's 
limbs  when  heavily  laden  ?  Steel  is  used  in  the  light  of 
economy,  but  can  it  be  said  to  be  very  beneficial  to  the 
draught  horse  ? 

The  shoeing  of  a  horse,  as  seen  by  a  casual  observer,  ap- 
pears to  be  something  or  nothing,  as  the  case'  may  be.  Let 
us  inquire  how  the  smith  operates.  He  appears  to  be 
sharpening  something.  Having  tried  the  edge  of  the  knife, 
he  is  ready  to  go  to  work  at  the  horse  in  waiting.  He  puts 
his  hand  upon  the  horse  and  pats  him,  speaking  kindly  to 
him.  Kindness  to  ahorse  is  good  common-sense  on  the  part 
of  either  owner  or  smith.  He  raises  the  foot  and  places  it 
between  his  knees  and  cuts  off  seven  nails.  He  appears  to 
be  looking  for  something.  Now  it  is  found.  It  was  the 
eighth  nail  he  was  after.  To  leave  it  would  have  been  dan- 
gerous to  the  foot,  consequently  the  smith  was  very  eager 
to  find  it.  The  shoe  is  now  loosened  at  the  heels  and  each 
nail  is  removed  separately.  He  makes  a  fulcrum  bearing 
on  the  shoe,  instead  of  wrenching  it  off  by  main  force  by 
putting  the  pincers  under  it  and  prying  violently  against 
the  sole  of  the  foot.  This  latter  method  is  very  detri- 
mental, especially  to  a  tender-footed  horse.  The  hind  shoes 
are  removed,  the  hoof  leveled,  and  the  sole  merety  cleaned 
off. 

The  front  shoe  is  next  fitted  at  a  low  degree  of  heat  in  the 
iron  for  the  sake  of  convenience,  as  the  metal  is  tougher 
and  also  more  pliable  when  slightly  warm.  As  this  does 
not  burn  the  hoof,  no  harm  is  done.    The  shoe  is  clipped  in 


38 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


front  in  order  to  prevent  it  from  going-  back.  The  hoof  is  cut 
away  in  order  to  let  the  clip  in.  Nature  has  provided  for 
the  protection  of  the  front  of  the  hoof  by  locating  a  thicker 
crust  at  that  point.  The  iron  clip  affords  still  additional 
protection. 

A  corn  is  observed  at  the  heel  of  one  of  the  front  feet. 
Here  is  the  cause  of  so  much  uneasiness  in  the  horse.  To 
treat  the  corn  the  smith  removes  the  surface  as  much 
as  required,  sometimes  to  a  considerable  depth,  and  pours 
spirits  of  salt  on  it  if  bare.  In  some  cases  blue-stone,  pul- 
verized, is  used.  Some  smiths  employ  tar,  tallow  and,  cotton 
mixed.  Pure  pine  balsam  is  a  most  excellent  article  for  the 
purpose.  Relieving  the  part  of  pressure  where  the  corn 
appears  is  the  principle  aimed  at  in  shoeing.  The  shoe  is 
placed  on  and  the  nails  are  not  drawn  tight  at  the  side  where 
the  corn  is. 

The  peculiarities  of  horses  when  brought  to  be  shod  are 
observed  by  the  smith.  Holding  dow^n  a  horse's  tail  some- 
times keeps  him  quiet  during  the  operation.  Some  require 
a  twitch  on  the  upper  lip,  while  others  will  not  stand  it 
there,  so  that  it  is  put  on  the  lower  lip.  The  throwing  of  a 
bad  horse  with  rings  and  straps  is  better  than  stocking  him. 
A  horse  when  on  the  ground  lies  easily,  but  in  the  stocks 
there  is  a  strain  that  is  no  ways  beneficial  to  him. 

The  paring  of  the  hoof  requires  some  thought.  Some 
pare  until  w^arned  to  stop  by  the  sole  giving  away  under  the 
knife.  This  is  a  gross  error.  Remove  the  dead  part  of  the 
sole  and  no  more.  An  examination  of  the  internal  struc- 
ture of  the  hoof  proves  most  conclusively  that  the  bars  are 
for  strength  for  that  part  that  terminates  at  the  heels. 
Open  the  heels  well,  not  sharp  at  the  extreme  part  of  the 
opening,  as  if  cut  with  a  sharp  chisel,  but  round  at  the 
base.  Level  the  crust  to  that  point  that  experience  dic- 
tates. Cut  down  the  toe  as  much  as  possible,  so  as  to  take 
away  that  spreading  character  that  the  foot  will  assume 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


39 


when  not  proper^  dressed.  If  the  foot  is  healthy,  fit  the 
shoe  level  at  all  points.  If  the  horse  is  tender-footed,  leave 
the  shoe  off  at  the  heels  a  little  by  bending  it,  but  not  by 
cutting  the  heels  away. 

Some  smiths  use  a  taper  piece  of  iron  heated  red-hot  for 
burning  the  hoof  at  the  heels  away  from  the  shoe  after  it  is 
in  position.  This  is  a  most  grievous  error,  and  should  not 
be  countenanced  at  all.  Drive  the  shoe  with  the  strongest 
nails  at  the  toe  and  the  lightest  at  the  quarter.  Cut  the 
clinches  with  sharp  pincers.  Remove  the  broken  hoof  under 
the  nails  slightly,  and  clinch  with  the  hammer  so  as  not  to 
start  the  nail  back. 

Always  use  a  good-sized  clinching  iron  in  preference  to 
the  large  pincers  for  clinching.  Cut  off  the  projecting  hoof, 
if  there  be  any,  with  a  sharp  instrument  made  for  that  pur- 
pose. Finish  the  hoof  in  a  workmanlike  manner,  with  the 
rasp  below  the  clinches,  to  the  size  of  the  shoe.  Run  the 
corner  of  the  file  around  the  edge  of  the  foot,  so  as  to  remove 
the  edge.  Do  not  file  the  clinches  too  much,  as  it  reduces 
their  strength.  Finish  with  the  fine-cut  side  of  the  rasp,  or, 
for  fine  work,  with  a  fine,  hardened  file.  It  is  preferable,  in 
all  cases,  to  file  as  little  as  possible,  but  there  are  instances 
where  the  rasp  must  be  used,  and  in  which  the  non-filing 
argument  is  completely  set  aside. — By  C.  S. 

A  Country  Blacksmith  on  Shoeing. 

Few  blacksmiths  comprehend  what  a  complicated  piece 
of  machinery  the  foot  of  a  horse  is.  They  do  not  realize 
the  fact  that  one  careless  blow  will  often  stop  the  working 
of  this  machine.  Too  many  smiths  when  paring  the  foot 
cut  down  the  heel  and  give  the  toe  but  little  attention.  I 
can  only  account  for  this  on  the  theo^  that  the  heel  is  the 
most  convenient  part  of  the  foot  to  work  on.  This  paring 
of  the  heel  and  braces  of  the  foot  causes  in  many  instances 


40 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOES. 


contracted  heels.  The  heels  of  a  horse  should  be  kept  up 
well  and  the  toe  should  be  kept  down.  By  lowering-  the 
heel  you  thrown  the  entire  weight  of  the  horse  on  the  back 
tendons  of  the  legs,  and  thereby  produce  lameness  from 
over-taxing  a  very  important  set  of  tendons.  By  keeping 
up  the  heel  you  throw  the  weight  upon  the  wall  of  the  foot, 
and  in  this  position  stumbling  is  generally  prevented. 

I  say  it  is  wrong  to  pare  the  sole  of  the  foot  as  some 
smiths  do.  Very  little,  if  any,  paring  should  be  done  to 
the  sole.  The  braces  should  not  be  pared.  All  or  most  of 
the  cutting,  paring,  and  smoothing  of  the  frog,  brace,  bars, 
or  soles  is  an  injur}^  to  the  horse,  making  him  less  valuable 
to  his  owner.  Nearly  all  the  corns  in  horses'  feet  are  pro- 
duced by  this  process  of  paring. 

The  frogs  have  been  placed  in  the  foot  by  nature  to  ex- 
pand the  wall  of  the  foot,  and  as  soon  as  you  cut  the  frog 
the  oily  substance  begins  to  leak  out.  The  frog  dries  up 
and  becomes  hard.  The  wall  gets  dry  and  hard  and  then 
cracks.  I  say  no  man  who  owns  a  horse  should  ever  allow 
a  blacksmith  to  cut  the  frogs,  braces,  or  soles  of  his  feet. 
I  don't  think  any  smith  ever  saw  a  contracted  foot  which 
had  a  good  frog.  By  throwing  the  weight  upon  the  frogs 
you  force  them  up  between  the  walls  and  cause  them  to 
spread,  and  I  think  the  only  cure  for  contracted  feet  is  the 
method  of  assisting  nature  to  grow  a  good  frog,  which  in 
turn  will  act  as  a  wedge,  crowding  out  the  walls,  and  soon 
contraction  will  be  no  more. 

I  don't  think  it  right  to  use  a  red-hot  shoe  in  fitting  ;  it 
extracts  too  much  moisture  from  the  hoof.  I  believe  the 
walls  of  the  feet  should  never  be  rasped  above  the  clinches, 
and  they  should  be  rasped  as  little  below  the  clinches  as 
possible.  All  rasping  and  filing  on  the  outside  of  the  foot 
tends  to  weaken  the  wall  by  cutting  the  fibres  of  the  foot. 

As  to  how  a  shoe  should  be  put  on,  I  will  just  say  that  in 
all  cases  you  should  get  the  shoe  as  near  the  size  and  shape 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


41 


of  the  foot  as  it  can  be  made  with  the  foot  and  shoe  level. 
Always  be  careful  to  get  the  foot  as  straight  as  possible, 
and  if  it  is  not  perfectly  straight  be  sure  and  make  the  out- 
side a  little  the  lowest.  Spread  the  heels  as  wide  as  possible, 
set  the  outside  a  little  under,  and  keep  the  toes  full.  Allow 
me  to  say  also  that  the  foregoing  directions  will  do  in  most 
cases,  but  not  in  all,  there  being  a  few  exceptions  even  to 
the  rules  I  have  given. — By  H.  S. 


CHAPTER  II. 


SPECIAL  TOOLS  USED  BY  HORSESHOERS. 

The  different  devices  described  and  illustrated  in  this 
chapter  have  been  found  useful  in  many  shops  and  will 
doubtless  prove  valuable  acquisitions  to  many  others. 

Making  a  Shoeing  Hammer. 

In  making*  the  hammer  shown  in  the  accompanying  illus- 
trations, I  first  take  a  piece  of  f-inch  steel,  six  inches  long-, 


Fig.  5.-Making  a  Shoeing  Hammer  by  the  method  of  4i  C.  N.  S."  The  Piece  of 

Steel  used. 

as  shown  in  Fig.  5,  which  is  then  "  stove  up,"  as  shown  in 
Fig.  6,  then  a  f-inch  hole  is  drilled  in  it  and  worked  out  with 


Fig.  6.— Showing  how  the  Steel  is  Shaped. 

an  eye  punch.  I  next  cut  out  the  slit  for  the  claw  and  then 
finish  with  a  file.  This  hammer  is  better  than  any  that  can 
be  bought.    Fig.  7  represents  it  completed,—  By  C.  N.  S. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


43 


Hoof  Pincers. 

I  have  a  pair  of  hoof  pincers  that  are  very  handy.  They 
^re  made  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration,  Fig*. 
8,  one  side  being-  blunt  so  that  it  can  rest  against  the  out- 
side of  the  hoof,  and  the  other  side,  being  made  sharp  liken 


Fig.  7.— Showing  the  Shoeing  Hammer  Completed. 

knife,  so  that  it  will  go  past  the  blunt  part  as  in  a  pair  of 
scissors.  One  of  the  handles  is  bent  over  to  prevent  the 
fingers  being  pinched. — By  H.  R. 


Fig.  8.— A  Pair  of  Hoof  Pincers,  as  made  by  "  H. 


Making  a  Pair  of  Hoof  Trimmers. 

The  accompanying  illustration,  Fig.  9,  represents  my 
method  of  making  a  pair  of  hoof  trimmers  or  pincers. 

One  pair  is  made  thinner  than  the  other,  and  is  beveled 
on  one  side.  The  piece  A  measures  11  inches  from  the  ke}^ 
to  the  end  of  the  handle.    The  end  of  B  is  turned  down  so 


44 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


as  to  prevent  the  points  of  the  jaws  from  striking-  together 
beyond  the  desired  joint.  The  jaws  are  of  good  cast  steel, 
and  are  made  li  inches  wide.  The  handles  are  of  |-inch 
iron — By  F.  X.  Z. 

Tool  for  Clinching  Horse  Nails. —  Rivet  Cutter. 

I  inclose  you  a  draught  of  two  tools  made  by  myself. 
Fig.  10  is  for  clinching  horseshoe  nails,  and  is  a  very  useful 
tool  for  colts  or  horses  who  will  not  stand  hammering  on 
their  hoofs.  I  have  used  it  on  all  horses.  The  whole  length 
is  14  inches,  and  it  is  all  made  of  iron  except  at  A,  which  is 
made  of  iron  and  steel,  and  has,  at  (7,  grooves  or  notches 
filed  in  it  to  pull  down  the  clinch,  B  being  under  the  head 


Fig.  9.— A  Pair  of  Hoof  Trimmers,  as  made  by  11  F.  X.  Z." 

of  the  nail.  It  should  be  used  in  this  manner:  Prepare  the 
nail  the  same  as  if  you  were  going  to  use  the  hammer  and 
iron,  then  take  the  tongs  and  pull  down  the  clinch.  If 
necessary,  you  can  use  the  hammer  if  any  of  the  clinches 
should  be  a  little  rough.  Then  rasp  as  usual.  It  is  difficult 
to  give  the  exact  shape  of  this  tool  on  paper,  but  after  a 
blacksmith  makes  one  he  will  soon  learn,  by  trying  it  on  a 
few  horses,  the  right  shape  to  give  it,  and  would  not  then 
be  willing  to  do  without  it. 

Fig.  11  is  a  tool  for  cutting*  rivets  and  small  bolts,  the 
ends  of  which  project  too  far.  It  is  all  made  of  steel.  En- 
tire length,  16  inches.    A  is  the  cutting  edge;  B  is  a  short 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


45 


lever  running  from  C  to  D,  which  you  will  easily  see  gives 
power  enough  to  cut  off  the  end  of  a  y^-inch  rivet.  They 
can  be  made  any  size.  This  also  is  a  very  useful  tool. — By 
Rab  of  the  Wynde. 

Bending    Horse    Nails.  —  Spring-Pincers.  —  A  Shoeing 

Stand. 

I  have  been  shoeing  horses  for  thirty  years  and  through 


A 


Fig.  10.— Horse  Nail  Clincher.  Fig.  11.— A  Rivet  Cutter. 

many  of  these  followed  the  old  plan  of  twisting  the  nail  off 
with  the  claw-hammer,  which  always  leaves  a  rough  and 
dangerous  stub.  But  about  ten  years  ago  my  hammer 
broke  and  being  in  a  hurry  I  adopted  a  new  plan  with  such 
success  that  I  have  adhered  to  it  ever  since.    It  is  this:  As 


46 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


soon  as  the  nail  comes  through  a  little,  I  pull  the  point  over 
a  trifle,  then  drive  the  nail  up  and  instead  of  twisting-  the 
end  I  hit  it  a  light  blow,  which  bends  it  around  in  the  shape 
represented  in  Fig.  12  of  the  accompanying  illustrations,  in 
which  the  position  of  the  nail  is  shown  before  and  after 
bending.    This  leaves  it  in  a  safe  position  to  draw  down 


Fig.  12.— Bending  Horse  Nails  by  the  Method  of  "P.  B.  G."  The  Nail  Before  and 

After  Bending. 

and  one  not  dangerous  to  man  or  horse.  Since  I  followed 
this  plan  I  have  never  torn  my  apron  or  pants  or  scratched 
my  hands.  My  customers  often  wonder  why  my  hands  are 
not  scarred  like  those  of  other  smiths.  The  pincers  I  use 
are  shown  in  Fig.  13.    They  have  a  spring  in  them  which 


Fig.  13.— The  Pincers. 


keeps  them  always  open  and  ready  to  take  hold  quickly. 

Fig.  14  represents  a  shoeing  stand  I  use.  It  is  a  movable 
block  with  a  staff  that  has  a  block  of  iron  at  the  top  to  set 
the  foot  on.  This  stand  makes  the  job  of  shoeing  easier  for 
both  man  and  horse.— By  P.  B.  G. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


4:7 


Making  a  Clincher. 

The  clincher  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustrations  is  one 
that  I  have  never  seen  described  in  any  paper.  The  handles 
are  drawn  so  as  to  taper  both  ways,  because  that  allows 
them  to  pass  each  other  easily  in  drawing*  down  a  clinch. 
The  piece  B,  shown  with  the  fulcrum  E  in  Fig.  15,  is  fullered 
so  that  the  nail  head  can  be  admitted  into  the  depressions. 


Fig.  14.— The  Shoeing  Stand. 


There  must  be  a  small  space  left  between  the  keyhole  in  the 
fulcrum  and  the  jaw,  so  that  B  can  move  up  and  down. 
Use  for  the  key  the  point  of  a  nail  that  has  been  nipped  off 
in  shoeing,  bending  it  so  that  it  will  not  come  out.  If  the 
piece  A  has  the  proper  curve,  any  clinch  can  be  caught.  In 
using  the  tool  it  should  be  pulled  up,  instead  of  down,  as 
you  would  the  ordinary  clinch, 


48 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


Fig*.  15  is  a  top  view  of  the  piece  B>  Fig.  16  is  a  top  view 
of  C,  Fig.  17  is  a  top  view  of  A,  and  Fig.  18  shows  the 
clincher  completed. — By  A.  H.  H. 


<~--73— -» 


Fig.  15.— Making  a  Clincher  by  the  Method  of  M  A.  H.  H."    Top  View  of  the  Piece  B. 

Shoeing  Box. 

I  send  herewith  a  sketch,  Fig.  19,  of  my  shoeing  box.  The 


Pczi 


Ml 


J 


Fig.  16.— Top  View  of  the  Piece  C. 

dimensions  are  as  follows:  The  height  at  the  back  is  10 
inches ;  the  length  is  18  inches  ;  the  height  of  the  front  is  6 

'  !i   \ 


Fig.  17.— Top  View  of  the  Piece  A. 

inches;  the  feet  are  7  inches  ;  the  width  is  10  inches.  The 
feet  extend  the  full  depth  of  the  box,  and  the  sides  and  ends 


Fig.  18.— The  Clincher  Completed. 

are  fastened  to  them  by  screws.  The  bail  is  of  half-inch 
iron,  fastened  by  two  bolts  at  each  side.    A  flat  piece  of 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


49 


iron  is  nailed  around  the  top  to  protect  the  edges  of  the 
wood.  I  lay  the  rasp  behind  the  bail.  I  like  this  pattern 
better  than  an}7  I  have  ever  seen. — By  Billy  Blacksmith. 


Fig.  19.— Horseshoer's  Tool  Box. 


Horseshoer's  Tool  Box. 

The  inclosed  sketches  will,  I  think,  make  the  construction 
and  proportions  of  two  handy  shoeing*  boxes  intelligible.  The 


Fig.  20.— One  Style  of  Horseshoer's  Tool  Box. 


boxes  are  carried  by  the  hand  placed  under  the  till  at  the 
top.  The  box  shown  in  Fig.  20  is  what  may  be  called  a 
double  box,  while  that  of  Fig.  21  might  be  termed  a  single 


50 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


box.  Both  styles  are  in  request  among-  slioers,  some  pre- 
ferring one  and  some  the  other. — By  K.  W.  G. 


Fig.  21.— Another  Style  of  Horseshoer's  Tool  Box. 


Tool  Box. 

The  inclosed  sketches  represent  a  tool  box  which  I  have 
used  for  the  past  twenty  years.    I  find  it  very  convenient 


Fig.  22.—  Perspective  View  of  Horseshoer's  Tool  Box  ty  14  L.  H." 

to  have  the  tool  receptacle  raised  from  the  floor,  because  it 
brings  the  tools  so  much  nearer  the  place  where  they  are 
wanted.  Fig.  22  is  a  perspective  view,  The  dimensions  indi- 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOED. 


51 


cated  upon  the  drawing's,  Fig*s.  23  and  24,  show  the  propor- 
tions I  have  found  most  desirable  for  employment.  The 
till  at  the  top  of  the  "  deck  "  is  made  one  inch  deep.  The 
tool  box  is  made  four  inches  deep.  From  this  brief  descrip- 
tion and  the  accompanying-  sketches  I  think  any  one  will 
be  able  to  construct  such  a  tool  box  as  we  countrymen  use. 
—By  L.  H. 

Shoeing  Box. 

I  send  inclosed  a  sketch  of  a  shoeing-  box,  Fig-.  25,  which 
has  many  advantages.    The  dimensions  are  as  follows : 


r 

i 

i 

\  1- 

r 
i 
i 

0  © 
0 

to 

CD 

■3 
a 

0  0 

* 

CD 

J 

O 

a 

© 

i 

j 

! 
i 

4. 

Fig.  23.— Side  Elevation  of  "  L.  H.'s"  Tool  Box.   Scale  1^  inches  to  the  foot. 

Length,  12  inches  ;  width,  18  inches,  and  height  10  inches. 
The  small  square  compartments  are  for  nails,  the  larger 
space  in  front  of  them  is  for  knives,  while  the  other  half  of 
the  upper  portion  of  the  box  contains  rasps,  hammers,  pin- 
cers, etc.  The  drawer  below,  which  in  the  sketch  is  shown 
partly  drawn  out,  is  quite  convenient  in  cases  wiiere  the 


52 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOEK. 


smith  is  obliged  to  go  away  from  his  shop  to -work,  as,  for 
instance,  to  attend  to  a  lame  or  sick  horse.  Part  of  the 
drawer  is  used  for  extra  sharp  knives,  and  such  tools  as  are 
required  upon  special  occasions,  while  the  other  half  is  used 
for  bottles  of  acids,  can  of  tar,  rosin,  etc.  When  the  draw- 
er is  closed  it  is  held  in  place  by  the  latch  shown  in  the 
sketch.  The  feet  and  strap  work  on  the  sides  of  the  box 
are  of  iron.    The  handle  by  which  the  box  is  moved  is  of 


-12-inch.es- 


Fig.  24.— End  Elevation  of  "  L.  H.  V1  Tool  Box.   Scale  \%  inches  to  foot. 

wood,  and  is  fastened  between  the  irons  by  two  long  screws. 
A  ferrule  is  put  upon  each  end  of  the  wooden  handle  in  order 
to  prevent  its  splitting. — By  Now  and  Then. 

An  Improved  Farrier's  Box. 

The  bottom  of  a  farrier's  box  should  slope  up  as  shown  in 
Figs.  26  or  27  in  the  accompanying  illustrations.  Then 
tools  are  within  sight  and  reach,  and  one  is  not  obliged  to 
stoop  low  nor  to  feel  around  for  them.    Boxes  are  made  too 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESIIOER. 


53 


large.  One  wants  but  few  tools  in  them,  and  these  should 
stick  out  handy  to  be  seen  and  seized.  A  square  bottom 
causes  the  accumulation  of  paring's  and  old  nails.  With 
sloping  sides  these  can  be  brushed  out  without  empt37ing 
the  nail  boxes  above. — By  Will  Tod. 

An  Improved  Rest  for  a  Horse's  Foot. 

The  accompanying  illustration,  Fig.  28,  represents  a  device 
for  a  horse's  foot  to  rest  on  while  the  smith  draws  down  the 


Fig.  25.— Horseshoer's  Tool  Box,  contributed  by  14  Now  and  Then." 


clinches.  It  is  easily  made  and  is  a  great  improvement  on 
the  old  style  of  foot  rests  with  three  legs.  To  make  this 
new  rest  take  first  a  piece  of  hardwood  plank  28  inches 
long  and  12  inches  wide.  Ma  ke  a  2x4  inch  hole,  three  inches 
from  the  end  of  the  plank,  and  place  in  it  the  upright  piece, 
2x4  inches  and  18  inches  long,  as  shown  in  the  illustration. 
Make  the  top  of  this  piece  a  little  rounding,  and  run  an  iron 
brace  from  the  plank  to  the  piece.  Make  four  pins  from 
f-inch  round  iron  and  drive  one  of  them  in  each  corner  of  the 


54 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


plank,  letting  them  extend  out  half  an  inch.  These  answer 
as  legs  and  prevent  the  rest  from  sliding. 

To  use  the  rest  put  it  far  enough  ahead  of  the  horse  to 
make  his  knee  almost  straight.  The  smith  stands  with  one 
foot  on  the  plank  and  draws  the  clinches  on  the  off  side  of 
the  foot.  When  the  clinches  are  finished  on  that  side,  the 
smith  turns  to  the  other  side  of  the  foot  and  completes  the 


Fig.  26.— Showing  Arrangement  of  the  Bottom  of  Farrier's  Box. 

job.  If  the  horse  moves  to  get  his  foot  away  from  the  rest 
he  must  tip  it  over  the  long  end,  and  he  cannot  do  this  be- 
cause the  smith  is  standing  on  this  end.  The  pins  prevent 
his  sliding  the  rest  along  the  floor,  and  the  position  of  his 
foot  on  the  rest  is  such  that  he  cannot  lift  it  easily,  and  if 
you  bear  down  his  knee,  so  as  to  make  it  remain  straight,  he 
cannot  raise  his  foot  at  all.—  By  E.  K.  W. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


Making  a  Shoeing  Stand. 

I  will  try  to  describe  a  shoeing-  stand,  made  of  wood, 
which  is  superior  to  anything-  I  have  ever  seen.  It  will 
save  a  smith  a  great  many  bruises.  Fig.  29,  of  the  accom- 
panying illustrations,  represents  the  post  with  a  tenon  on 
the  bottom  2x2x2  inches.  The  post  at  the  shoulder  is 
3x3  inches  and  at  the  top  is  2^x2^  inches  and  17  inches 
long.  The  corners  may  be  champfered  or  not,  as  thought 
best.    Fig.  30  represents  the  base,  which  is  16  inches  in 


Fig.  27.— Showing  another  Form  for  the  Bottom  of  Farrier's  Box. 

diameter,  with  a  mortise  in  the  center  2x2  inches,  and  four 
grooves  in  it  to  receive  the  braces.  The  four  braces,  repre- 
sented by  one  shown  in  Fig.  31,  are  made  of  l^x^-inchi 
iron  bent  almost  at  right  angles.  Fig.  32  represents  the 
stand  completed.  It  requires  one  dozen  ^-inch  bolts  to 
make  it  strong,  four  being  3|x^  inches  each,  and  eight 
2ixT6  inches  each. 


56 


*THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOEifc. 


The  woodwork  should  be  made  from  good  seasoned  oak 
or  other  hardwood.  The  base  is  made  as  shown,  in  order 
that  a  man  can  stand  on  it  with  both  feet.  The  base  is  2 
inches  thick  b}^  16  inches  in  diameter  and  is  grooved  to  re- 
ceive the  brace  irons. — By  C.  E.  V. 

A  Handy  Shoeing  Stand. 

I  give  herewith  a  drawing,  Fig.  33,  of  a  handy  shoeing 


Fig.  28— Improved  Foot  Rest,  made  by  "  E.  K.  W." 


stand.  It  is  made  of  three  pieces  of  f-inch  square,  2  feet 
long,  and  spread  so  that  the  legs  will  form  an  equilateral 
triangle,  and  be  about  1G  inches  high.  The  more  spread 
the  more  stable  it  is.  "When  the  horse  moves,  this  stand 
can  be  kicked  about  and  moved  along  accordingly.  It  is 
used  for  the  fore  feet  only. — By  A.  H.  H. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


61 


A  Tool  for  Drawing  Clips  and  Sharpening  Toe  Calks. 

I  will  endeavor,  with  the  aid  of  the  accompany ing  en- 
gravings, to  give  your  readers  an  accurate  idea  of  a  tool  I 
use  for  sharpening  toe  calks  and  drawing  clips  on  shoes. 
In  making  the  tool  I  first  take  a  piece  of  1^-inch  square  steel 
about  8  inches  long,  and  draw  it  out  on  one  end,  so  that  for 
about  3  inches  it  will  fit  in  the  square  hole  of  the  anvil.  I 


then  hammer  it  down  in  the  anvil  until  it  is  a  solid  fit,  and 
then  heat  it  again  put  it  in  the  anvil  hole  and  by  ham- 
mering against  it  bend  it  square,  turning  it  to  the  side  of 
the  anvil  opposite  that  where  I  stand.  I  next  take  my  cutter 
and  cut  it  down,  beginning  three-quarters  of  an  inch  from  the 
side  of  the  anvil,  so  as  to  leave  a  stem  about  f-inch  square 
coming  out  from  the  center  of  the  bottom  ot  the  tool.  This 
stem  is  to  support  the  shoe  while  drawing  on  the  clip.  I 


58  THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 

then  take  a  half  round  cutter  and  cut  out  a  slot  at  the 
corner  of  the  tool  so  that  the  clip  can  go  easily  in  it,  and 
the  tool  is  completed.    In  using-  it  for  drawing  clips  I  weld 


Fig.  30.— The  Base  of  the  Shoeing  Stand. 


the  toe  to  the  shoe,  then  hold  the  shoe  out  on  the  end  of  the 
tool,  allowing  it  to  rest  on  the  stem,  and  draw  the  clip  to- 


«&=) 


Fig.  31.— Showing  how  the  Braces  for  the  Stand  are  made. 

ward  me.  With  this  tool  I  can  draw  three  g*ood  clips  in 
the  time  it  usually  takes  to  draw  one  from  the  corner  of  the 
anvil.    When  the  clip  is  on  I  stand  the  shoe  endwise  on  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


59 


anvil,  allowing*  the  clip  to  hide  in  the  slot.  The  shoe  being" 
backed  by  the  tool  I  place  my  fuller  on  the  toe  and  draw  it 
down.  By  following  the  method  I  have  just  described  you 
will  find  it  the  neatest  and  easiest  way  of  clipping  or 
sharpening.  Fig.  34  represents  the  tool ;  A  indicates  the 
stem,  and  B  is  the  slot.  C  is  the  part  made  to  fit  the  anvil. 
Fig.  35  shows  the  method  of  drawing  clips.    Fig.  36  illus- 


Fig.  32  —Showing  the  Shoeing  Stand  Completed. 


trates  how  the  shoe  should  be  placed  when  the  calks  are  to  > 
be  sharpened. — By  J.  J.  C. 

Sharpening  Calks. 
I  will  describe  ir^  plan  for  sharpening  horseshoes  : 
I  first  take  an  old  axle  two  inches  square,  cut  it  in  two  in 
the  center,  and  then  upset  one  of  the  pieces  at  the  end  where 


60 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


it  was  cut  off,  so  that  it  is  about  3  inches  by  If  inches  on 
the  end.  Then  I  lay  a  piece  of  horseshoe  rasp  on  the  end,  as 
shown  at  A  in  Fig*.  37  of  the  accompanying  engravings,  and 


Fig.  33.— A  Shoeing  Stand,  made  by  "A.  H.  H." 


after  drawing  it  to  the  required  shape,  as  shown  at  Ay  Figs. 
37  and  38, 1  bend  the  piece,  as  shown  in  Fig.  37  at  B,  punch  a 
f -inch  hole  through  it  at  C  and  D,  heat  the  end  where  the 


Fig.  34— Side  View  of  the  Tool  used  for  Drawing  Clips  and  Sharpening  Toe  Calks. 

steel  was  laid  on  and  harden  it  so  that  it  will  not  fly  when 
struck  with  the  hammer,  which  completes  this  part  of  the 
job, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


61 


I  then  take  a  piece  of  iron  1|  inches  square  and  about  3  feet 
long,  jump  a  piece  of  the  same  size  across  the  end  of  it  as 


Fig.  36.— Showing  the  Tool  as  Used  for  Sharpening  Calks, 


62 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


shown  at  S,  Fig*.  39,  and  upset  it  to  the  same  length  as  the 
width  of  Fig-.  38  at  A,  which  is  three  inches  or  any  width 
you  wish  to  make  it.  I  then  bend  it  into  shape  as  shown 
at  E,  Fig.  37,  and  weld  a  piece  of  iron  at  F,  making  two  lugs 
in  the  ends  of  which  I  punch  two  frinch  holes ;  I  fit  the  lugs  to 
the  first  piece  so  that  the  two  holes  correspond  with  the  hole 
C  ,  then  I  let  the  bottom  end  extend  to  the  ground,  as  shown 


A 


I  i  i 

I  i  I 


Fig.  37.— Machine  for  Sharpening  Calks. 

at  R,  Fig1.  37.  I  next  provide  myself  writh  a  cast-iron  wheel 
six  inches  in  diameter  by  two  across  the  face,  and  taking  a 
piece  of  iron  about  four  feet  long-,  2xf  inch,  bend  it  edge- 
ways as  shown  at  Fig.  40,  and  twist  the  ends  as  showrn  in 
Fig.  41,  leaving  them  wide  enough  apart  to  go  each  side  of 
the  wheel,    I  then  drill  a  hole  in  each  end  as  *  shown  at  Z, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER.  63 

Fig1.  41,  and  two  at  K,  Fig*.  41,  being  careful  to  place  the 
holes  at  K  far  enough  from  the  wheel  to  make  that  end 
heavy  enough  to  fall  at  all  times.  I  then  put  one  end  on  each 
side  of  Fig.  40  insert  the  bolt  as  shown  at  D,  Fig.  39,  and 
put  a  bolt  through  the  wheel  and  the  ends  as  shown  at  Fig.  37. 
I  next  take  a  block  of  wood  about  two  feet  long  and  one  foot 


Fig.  38.  , 

Fig.  38.— Side  View  of  One  of  the  Parts.  Fig.  39.— Side  View  of  the  Opposite  Part. 
Fig.  40.— Showing  the  Piece  Bent  for  Attachment  to  the  Wheel.  Fig.  41.— Showing 
the  Piece  ready  for  Attachment  to  the  Wheel  and  to  the  Piece  shown  in  Fig.  39. 

in  diameter,  and  bore  a  hole  in  one  end  of  it  large  enough 
to  let  the  axle  end  into  it  and  drive  it  into  the  block  as  tight- 
ly as  possible.  I  then  dig  a  hole  in  the  floor  of  the  shop, 
put  the  block  into  it  and  fill  it  up  as  solid  as  possible, 
which  completes  the  job.  This  arrangement  enables  me  to 
sharpen  toes  and  calkings  in  half  the  time  required  to  do  it 


64 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


on  the  anvil.  It  is  also  handy  as  a  vise  for  bending-  iron 
in,  as  it  is  always  ready;  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  put  your 
iron  or  shoe  in  the  machine  and  your  foot  on  the  lever,  and 
your  work  is  fast  until  you  take  your  foot  off,  when  the 


Fig.  42. — A  Tool  for  sharpening  Toe  Calks. 


wheel  drops  and  the  jaws  open,  releasing  the  work  immedi- 
ately.— By  A.  S. 

A  Tool  for  Sharpening  Toe  Calks. 

I  send  a  sketch,  Fig*.  42,  of  a  handy  tool  for  sharpening  toe 
calks. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


65 


A  represents  a  piece  of  round  shafting'  with  steel  face  at 
top.  B  represents  a  block  of  wood,  into  which  the  shaft  A 
is  let.    C  passes  through  A,  at  the  slot  F.    The  foot  piece 


Fig.  43.— Device  to  Prevent  Horseshoes  from  Slipping  on  the  Anvil. 

is  bolted  or  riveted  to  (7.  The  steel  face  is  3|-  inches  wide 
and  slanted,  as  shown  in  the  drawing. — By  Will. 

A  Device  to  Prevent  Horsehoes  Slipping  on  the  Anvil. 

The  following  is  a  good  plan  to  prevent  horseshoes  from 
slipping  on  the  anvil.  I  have  been  bothered  in  this  way  for 
years,  but  last  winter  I  took  an  old  anvil  and  cut  three 
creases  in  it  near  the  hardy  hole,  as  shown  in  the  engraving, 
Fig.  43.  This  ended  all  my  trouble.  It  works  like  a 
charm.— By  S.  C.  R. 

Getting  the  Angle  for  a  Horse's  Foot 

The  accompanying  illustration,  Fig.  44,  represents  the  tool 
I  use  in  getting  the  angle  of  a  horse's  foot.  The  bar  or 
pointer  is  eight  inches  long,  and  one- eighth  inch  thick.  A 


66 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


small  thumbscrew  secures  it  to  the  other  piece,  which  is 
made  from  iron  one  inch  wide  and  one-quarter  inch  thick. 
In  making-  it  I  take  a  piece  twelve  inches  long-,  and  then 
another  piece,  bending  the  latter  into  a  half  circle  as  in  the 


Fig.  ii.—  Tool  used  by  w  A.  W.  M."  for  getting  the  Angle  of  a  Horse's  Foot. 

illustration,  and  then  welding  together  the  four  ends  of  the 
two  pieces.  The  method  of  using  the  tool  is  clearly  shown 
in  the  illustration.— By  A.  W.  M. 


CHAPTER  III. 


VARIOUS  DEVICES   FOR  SHOEING  UGLY 

HORSES. 

Such  a  variety  of  plans  for  shoeing*  unruly  horses  and 
mules  with  the  least  possible  risk  to  the  shoer,  is  presented 
herewith,  that  a  selection  may  be  made,  probably,  to  fit  al- 
most all  cases. 

Shoeing  Vicious  Horses. 

I  will  give  my  way  of  handling'  bad  kicking-  horses  in 
shoeing'.  When  I  g-et  a  horse  supposed  to  be  vicious  I  ap- 
proach him  as  quietly  as  possible  and  notice  the  eyes  and 
the  ears,  which  show  as  plainly  as  words,  whether  he  is 
really  vicious  or  only  nervous.  If  vicious,  I  give  him  a 
taste  of  the  war  bridle,  and  if  that  does  not  work  then  I 
give  him  some  rope  along-  with  the  bridle,  which  is  sufficient 
in  all  cases  I  ever  met  3ret.  I  use  Prof.  Rockwell's  war 
bridle  sometimes  and  sometimes  Prof.  Mag-ner's  rope  bridle, 
Fig*.  45 ;  either  will  answer.  The  rope  I  use  is  a  f-inch  one, 
from  21  to  24  feet  long.  I  take  a  piece  of  good  harness 
leather,  1^-inch  wide  and  9  inches  long*,  take  two  y5g-inch 
rings  and  some  copper  rivets,  and  fasten  the  ring's  to  each 
end  of  the  strap.  I  then  tie  a  loop  in  one  end  of  the  rope  so 
that  it  will  not  slip,  and  put  it  around  the  neck.  I  put  the 
other  end  of  the  rope  through  one  ring-,  then  pass  the  strap 
around  the  pastern  and  the  rope  through  the  other  ring-, 
then  forward  through  the  loop  on  the  neck,  pull  the  foot 
forward,  and  I  have  him — for  the  hind  foot.    The  front  foot 


68 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


he  is  apt  to  use  in  rearing  and  plunging-,  so  I  strap  the  foot 
up  to  his  arm  and  then  let  him  plunge  till  he  is  ready  to 
stand.  Then  I  am  ready  to  go  to  shoeing.  If  he  is  only 
nervous  I  approach  him  quietly  and  coolly  ;  never  under 
any  circumstances,  when  I  am  excited  or  nervous,  as  the 
horse  knows  as  soon  as  you  approach  him  whether  you  are 
excited  or  not.  Do  not  talk  crossly  to  him.  It  is  better  to 
whistle  than  to  scold  him. 

Always  be  cool,  quiet,  and  firm,  never  getting  angry. 
Control  yourself  and  you  can  control  the  horse.    I  have 


Fig.  45— Showing  the  Device  of  "J.  C.       for  Shoeing  a  Kicking  Horse. 


never  had  any  occasion  to  use  stocks,  and  in  fact  never  saw 
a  horse  in  them. 

I  have  been  a  practical  shoer  for  twenty-three  years  and 
have  shod  some  of  the  worst  horses  in  this  section  of  the 
country,  but  have  never  failed  to  shoe  one  that  was  brought 
to  me,  and  they  have  brought  them  from  quite  a  distance, 
sometimes  from  as  much  as  ten  miles,  passing  two  or  three 
other  shops  on  the  way. — By  J.  C.  L. 

[Note. — In  the  accompanying  illustration  our  artist  has 
drawn  the  knot  loosely  so  as  to  show  exactly  how  it  is  tied. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


69 


Of  course  in  practical  use  the  lower  knot  is  to  be  drawn  up 
tight.  The  proportions  in  this  illustration  have  been  ex- 
aggerated a  little  so  as  to  make  the  loops  and  knots  clearer 
to  the  reader. — Ed.] 

How  to  Shoe  Kicking  Horses  and  Mules. 

I  have  shod  man}7  kicking  horses  in  the  following  way  : 
The  horse  must  have  a  switch  tail — the  longer  the  better — 
to  carry  out  my  plan.  I  place  a  stick  about  a  foot  long  in 
the  tail,  close  to  the  end  of  the  dock,  at  B  in  the  illustra- 
tion, Fig.  46,  double  back  the  hair  upon  it,  and  confine  it 


Fig.  46. — 41  A.  CVs"  Method  of  Shoeing  Kicking  Horses. 

with  a  piece  of  twine.  Then  take  a  long  rope  and  tie  it  to 
the  stick  in  the  tail,  winding  it  round  and  round  till  it  is 
firm.  Then  buckle  a  strap  with  a  ring  in  it  round  the 
ankle,  just  under  the  fetlock  at  A.  Let  your  assistant  pass 
the  end  of  the  rope  through  the  ring,  and,  after  going  to  a 
respectable  distance,  pull  up  the  foot  as  is  shown  in  the 
sketch.  The  horse  cannot  hurt  himself.  If  he  throws  him- 
self, slacken  up  the  rope  till  he  gets  up,  and  immediately 
draw  his  foot  up  again.  He  cannot  hurt  the  shoer  or  lie  on 
him.    Some  one  may  say,  How  will  you  get  the  rope  on  the 


70 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


tail  or  the  strap  round  the  ankle  ?  I  have  always  contrived 
some  way  to  do  it,  generally  by  holding-  up  one  of  the  fore 
feet.  I  once  shod  a  horse  in  this  way,  that  had  been  all 
round  the  county  to  be  shod,  and  it  had  been  given  up  as 
impossible  to  do  in  anjr  other  way  except  to  cast  him.  He 
did  not  hinder  my  man  more  than  fifteen  minutes,  and  he 
always  shod  well  afterwards. — By  A.  C. 

[As  it  would  be  impossible  to  shoe  a  kicking  horse  having 
a  short  tail  by  the  method  described  by  "  A.  C,"  the 
following  is  suggested : 

With  a  long  rope  form  a  sort  of  collar,  as  at  A  in  the  en- 


Fig.  47.— Another  Plan  for  Shoeing  Kicking  Horses. 

graving,  Fig.  47,  then  let  the  rope  pass  between  the  fore 
legs  at  C,  and  stopping  at  B,  pass  over  and  ,around  the 
body,  and  tie  at  B.  Join  another  rope  at  E,  with  braces  on 
each  rump,  as  shown  in  the  illustration.  A  similar  strap 
to  the  one  used  by  "  A.  C."  could  be  buckled  around  the 
ankle  at  Z>,  and  the  rope  leading  from  E,  passed  through 
the  ring  in  the  same  manner  as  suggested  by  "A.  C." 
Afterwards  proceed  as  "A.  C."  has  described  above. — Ed.] 

To  Shoe  Unruly  Horses  and  Mules. 

I  give,  for  the  benefit  of  others,  my  plan  of  shoeing 
wild  horses,  after  nearly  eighteen  years'  experience  on 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


11 


the  Pacific  Coast.  We  employ  various  methods,  but  the 
one  I  am  about  to  describe  answers  the  purpose  very 
well. 

To  shoe  an  unruly  horse,  take  a  leather  strap  three  feet 
long,  made  like  a  hame  strap,  with  a  loop  on  the  inside ; 
pass  it  around  the  fetlock;  put  the  end  of  the  strap  through 
the  loop  and  draw  it  up  close  around  the  fetlock,  as  shown 
in  the  sketch,  Fig.  48,  at  1.  Take  up  the  foot  by  the  strap 
and  buckle  the  strap  around  the  fore-arm,  as  at  2.  The 
horse  is  now  compelled  to  stand  on  three  legs.  Drive  on  the 


Fig.  48.— Plan  for  Controlling  Vicious  Horses. 


shoe  and  clinch  it  in  this  position,  unless  by  this  process  he 
has  become  gentle  enough  to  allow  you  to  unbuckle  the 
strap  and  take  his  foot  and  clinch  it  up  in  front.  When 
done  change  the  strap  to  the  other  side  and  shoe  the  other 
foot.  To  shoe  the  hind  foot,  take  a  rope  (your  own  judg- 
ment will  suggest  the  length  and  thickness),  tie  a  knot  on 
the  end  and  another  knot  far  enough  from  the  end  to  pass 
around  his  neck.  Pass  the  knot  on  the  end  through  the 
other  knot  and  tighten  up  the  latter  so  that  the  end  knot 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOEH. 


cannot  slip  out.  Take  the  other  end  of  the  rope  and  go 
behind  your  horse  and  make  him  step  over  the  rope  with 
his  hind  foot.  Carry  the  rope  around  to  his  neck  and  pass 
the  end  through  the  rope  at  3  ;  draw  up  his  foot  by  the 
rope  till  it  nearly  leaves  the  ground  ;  fasten  it  by  taking  a 
half  hitch  around  both  the  ropes  at  3.  Now  tie  a  string- 
around  both  ropes,  to  keep  them  together,  and  slide  it  down 
close  to  his  fetlock.    Next  fasten  a  ring  on  a  hame  strap 


Fig.  49.— Device  for  Shoeing  Ugly  Horses. 


and  buckle  the  strap  around  the  fetlock,  under  the  rope ; 
tie  a  rope  in  the  tail,  pass  it  through  the  ring  alluded  to, 
and  pull  on  the  rope  at  4.  This  will  raise  his  foot  in  a  posi- 
tion to  shoe  it  without  danger  to  either  the  horse  or  the 
smith,  as  the  man  who  holds  the  rope  can  set  down  the  foot 
and  take  it  up  at  pleasure.  When  the  shoe  is  driven  on, 
either  clinch  it  pulled  back  or  loosen  the  rope  at  the  neck 
and  draw  it  up  till  the  foot  comes  in  a  position  to  clinch  it 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSE  SHOER. 


Y3 


in  the  usual  way.  The  horse  can't  kick  you.  A  little  prac- 
tice will  enable  the  shoer  to  shoe  bad  horses  or  mules  with- 
out danger. — By  Old  Roper. 

How  to  Shoe  Kicking  Horses  and  Mules. 

I  have  always  found  the  following-  to  be  a  safe  and  easy 
way  to  shoe  unruly  horses  or  mules.  Take  a  rope  1\  inches 
thick,  and  splice  a  loop  on  one  end  of  it  large  enough  to 
allow  the  other  end  of  the  rope  to  pass  through  and  work 


in  it  with  ease.  When  you  have  a  kicking  horse  to  shoe, 
lay  this  rope  on  the  floor,  and  open  out  the  noose  so  as  to 
take  in  the  foot  which  you  want  to  shoe.  Then  draw  the 
noose  up  tight  around  the  fetlock  at  A,  as  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying illustration,  Fig.  49.  Pass  the  rope  between 
the  fore  legs  at  B,  and  up  and  over  the  neck  at  C.  Now 
let  some  man  who  will  not  drop  the  rope  every  time  the 
horse  moves,  hold  it  at  the  end  D,  and  if  the  shoer  gets 
hurt  it  will  be  his  own  fault,  for  there  is  no  necessity  of 


Fig.  50. — Shoeing  a  Kicking  Mule. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER, 


holding*  the  foot  more  than  to  keep  it  steady  after  it  is 
drawn  up  from  the  floor  with  the  rope.  This  is  my  plan, 
but  there  ma}^  be  other  better  ones.  In  shoeing*  the  fore 
feet,  the  shoer  must  hold  and  manage  the  animal  the  best 
way  he  knows  how. — By  Southern  Yankee. 

Shoeing  a  Kicking  Horse  or  Mule. 

I  have  had  considerable  experience  in  shoeing*  kicking* 
mules  and  horses,  and  accordingly  inclose  a  sketch,  Fig.  50, 
to  illustrate  my  method  in  such  cases.  I  take  two  pieces  of 
spring  steel  If  inches  wide,  and  long  enough  to  make  a  good- 
sized  pair  of  hames,  bend  them  to  fit  a  collar  and  punch  holes 
in  the  top  to  let  a  strap  pass  through  to  fit  different  sizes  of 
collars.  I  then  take  a  piece  of  1^-inch  iron  or  steel,  6  inches 
long*,  rivet  it  on  the  flat  side  of  the  hame,  bend  in  a  circle 
to  clear  the  collar,  and  shut  a  D  ring*  in  the  ends,  one  on 
each  hame — as  shown  in  the  engraving  annexed.  Tie  in 
the  ring  a  strong*  f -inch  rope  on  the  side  opposite  to  where 
you  are  to  work ;  pass  this  rope  around  the  fetlock  to  the 
other  ring,  and  tie  to  suit  j^ourself.  Hook  an  open  link  on 
the  ropes  so  the  animal  cannot  get  his  other  foot  through 
them,  and  you  have  him.  When  you  raise  the  foot  to  drive, 
the  rope  will  be  tightened,  and  he  cannot  kick  you  either 
in  driving*  or  clinching. — By  W.  W.  K. 

Device  for  Shoeing  Vicious  Horses. 

I  will  describe  my  patented  device  for  shoeing*  vicious 
horses,  as  showm  in. the  accompaii3Ting  illustration,  Fig.  51. 
The  sheave  net  under  the  tail  has  a  latching  w^edge  wThich 
clutches  the  rope  at  any  place  where  it  is  desired  to  do  so. 
The  leg  can  be  taken  backward  or  forward  at  the  will  of 
the  shoer,  and  the  horse  is  held  securely,  for  no  amount  of 
struggling  and  kicking*  can  enable  him  to  g*et  his  foot  down. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


75 


The  forelegs  are  held  by  a  strap  and  snap  which  snaps  into 
a  ring-  on  the  foot.  The  hindfoot  is  raised  by  standing-  he- 
hind  the  horse  and  pulling-  the  rope.  The  wedge  is  con- 
trolled by  a  small  rope  running-  parallel  with  the  other  and 
attached  to  the  wedg*e. — By  A.  F.  Trask. 

Shoeing  a  Kicking  Horse. 

In  managing  kicking  horses  I  use  a  rope  about  twenty 


Fig.  51.— Device  of  A.  F.  Trask  for  Shoeing  Kicking  Horses. 


feet  long  and  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and 
having  at  one  end  a  loop  which  I  put  around  the  horses' 
'neck  like  a  collar  but  loosety.  Holding  the  other  end  I  get 
behind  him,  let  him  step  over  it,  then  bring  the  end  up  to 
the  loop  and  take  a  turn  or  two  around  it '  so  that  it  will 
slip  easily,  and  I  can  then  draw  the  hind  leg  off  the  ground 
as  shown  in  Fig.  52.  When  I  begin  to  handle  his  foot  I 
draw  the  rope  quite  tightly  and  if  he  plunges  around  too 
much  I  let  it  down  a  little. 


76 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


I  have  followed  this  plan  for  thirty  years,  have  never 
failed  to  succeed  in  shoeing*  a  horse,  and  have  never  re- 
ceived a  scratch  in  doing-  the  job. — By  J.  B.  G. 

Shoeing  a  Vicious  Horse. 

The  accompanying  engraving,  Fig.  53,  represents  a  very 
good  method  of  shoeing*  a  vicious  horse.  If  followed  the 
plan  will  enable  the  smith  to  shoe  any  horse  without  putting 
him  in  the  stocks.    The  method  is  as  follows  : 


Fig.  52.— Shoeing  a  Kicking  Horse. 


Get  a  leather  strap,  two  inches  wide  and  four  feet  in 
length,  with  a  good  buckle  on  one  end.  Try  it  first  on  a 
gentle  horse.  The  cut  shows  how  it  is  put  around  the  fet- 
lock. Put  the  strap  around  the  fetlock  before  raising  his 
foot.  You  then  raise  his  foot,  and  have  some  one  draw  the 
strap  through  the  buckle  as  far  as  possible.  Now  buckle  it 
and  let  his  foot  down,    You  must  repeat  this  operation  on 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


17 


a  gentle  horse  until  you  know  just  how  it  is  used.  Be  sure 
you  have  the  strap  the  right  way  around  the  fetlock  before 
raising  his  foot. 

When  you  come  to  try  it  on  a  vicious  horse,  first  take  off 
the  harness,  and  put  a  rope  around  his  neck  in  such  a  way 


Fig.  53.— Shoeing  a  Vicious  Horse  by  the  Method  of  "  E.  K.  W." 

that  it  will  not  choke  him.  Talk  kindly  to  him,  and  avoid 
all  excitement  around  the  shop.  Rub  and  pat  his  hind  legs 
down  to  his  feet.  Try  and  raise  his  foot,  but  don't  hold 
him,  let  him  down.  Repeat  the  same  until  he  allows  you  to 
keep  his  foot  up  a  few  minutes.    Always  shoe  a  bad  horse 


78 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


first  on  his  hind  feet.  Now  put  the  strap  around  his  fet- 
lock. Be  very  careful  not  to  get  him  excited.  Put  the  end 
through  the  buckle  before  raising  his  foot.  Now  you  gen- 
tly raise  his  foot  up,  and  have  your  man  at  the  same  time 
draw  the  strap  through  the  buckle  as  tightly  as  possible. 
Now  buckle  it  and  put  the  end  of  the  strap  under  the  leather  - 
loop.  Now  let  him  down — don't  be  uneasy  about  him  get 
ting  hurt.  Let  him  fight  until  he  will  let  you  handle  his 
foot.  Now  put  the  shoe  on  and  complete  the  job  before  let- 
ting his  foot  clown.  If  he  will  not  allow  you  handle  his  feet, 
walk  him  around  in  the  shop  on  three  legs.  He  will  get  so 
tired  that  he  will  stand  better  than  any  gentle  horse  will. 
On  the  other  foot  .you  will  not  have  so  much  trouble,  and 
after  you  get  used  to  it  you  can  put  the  strap  on  alone  in 
two  minutes.  Use  it  only  on  bad  horses  and  on  those  that 
try  to  jerk  away  from  you,  for  it  will  not  hurt  them,  and  it 
will  not  take  so  much  time  to  do  the  job.  Andc  best  of  all, 
you  will  not  endanger  3Tour  life  by  being  jerked  all  over  the 
shop.—  By  E.  K.  W. 

Stocks  or  Swings  for  Shoeing  Kicking  Horses  and  Mules, 

We  have  a  swing  which  we  made  for  shoeing  kicking 
mules  and  horses,  and  it  works  to  perfection.  It  can  be 
kept  in  any  shop,  and  when  not  wanted  will  not  be  in  the 
way.  We  keep  ours  over  the  shoeing  floor.  The  swing  has 
no  frame  against  which  a  horse  might  strike  and  be  bruised. 
The  cost  of  this  swing  is  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve  dollars. 
The  belts  or  aprons  are  made  of  heavy  canvas,  and  it  is 
better  to  double  the  canvas. 

Fig.  54,  of  the  accompanying  engravings,  represents  the 
breast  belt,  A.  It  is  10  inches  wide  and  4  feet  long,  with  a 
ring  fastening  each  end,  the  chain  in  each  ring  being  12 
inches  long.    On  one  side  of  this  belt,  about  four  inches 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER.  f9 

from  the  center,  is  riveted  a  strap  1|  inch  wide  and  3  feet 
long*,  and  about  four  inches  from  it  on  the  same  side  there 
is  riveted  a  buckle  large  enough  to  receive  the  strap.  This 
strap  goes  around  the  neck  of  the  horse  like  a  collar.  On 
the  other  side  of  the  belt  and  in  the  center  another  buckle 

1 

o 


()D 


Fig.  54.— A  Swing  for  Shoeing  Kicking  Horses.  The  Breast  Belt. 

is  riveted,  which  is  large  enough  to  receive  a  strap  2  inches 
wide.  The  belt  B,  shown  in  Fig.  55,  is  22  inches  wide  and 
4  feet  long,  and  the  four  chains  riveted  to  each  corner  are  12 
inches  long.  Two  straps  are  riveted  on  this  belt  in  the  center, 
one  on  each  side,    The  straps  are  each  2  inches  wide  and  18 


80 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


inches  long.  One  of  them  goes  between  the  front  legs  and 
buckles  in  a  buckle  on  belt  A,  and  the  other  goes  between 
the  hind  legs  and  buckles  on  belt  C,  shown  in  Fig.  56.  This 
belt  is  6  inches  wide  and  4  feet  long,  and  has  rings  and 
chains  like  those  on  belt  A.  It  has  also  a  buckle  in  the 
center. 


Fig.  55— The  Belly  Belt. 


In  Fig.  57  the  swing  is  shown  in  position  on  a  horse.  L 
in  the  engraving  denotes  a  pulley  wheel  about  4  feet  in  di- 
ameter, with  a  groove  in  it  large  enough  to  allow  a  f-inch 
rope  to  be  wound  around  it  five  or  six  times.  K  is  a  shaft 
about  6  inches  in  diameter  and  5  feet  long.  The  wheel  L  is 
fastened  to  this  shaft  with  a  gudgeon  of  1^-inch  iron.  H,  H} 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


81 


are  f-inch  ropes  which  pass  around  the  shaft.  The  length 
of  these  ropes  depends  upon  the  height  of  the  smith's  shop. 
G,  G,  G,  G,  are  four  rings,  to  which  are  attached  eight 
small  and  very  short  hooks.  These  rings  are  to  be  fastened 
to  the  ropes  H,  if.   M  is  the  rope  which  turns  the  wheel  L. 


This  rope  should  have  a  guide  so  that  it  will  not  run  off  the 
wheel. 

The  belt  B  has  also  two  small  f-inch  ropes  attached  to  it. 
To  use  the  swing,  first  blindfold  your  horse,  then  tie  him 
so  he  cannot  break  loose.   Next  lay  the  belt  B  on  the  back 


Fig.  56.— The  Buttock  Belt. 


Fig.  57— Showing  the  Swing  in  position  and  Ready  for  Use, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


83 


of  the  horse,  pass  the  small  ropes  on  this  belt  under  the 
horse  and  fasten  them  to  the  rings  on  the  other  end  of  the 
belt,  tying  them  so  that  they  will  allow  the  belt  to  slip 
around  to  the  place  shown  in  the  engraving*.  Then  put  on  the 
belt  A,  buckling  one  strap  between  the  forelegs,  adjusting 
the  chains  as  shown  in  the  illustration.  Sometimes  another 
strap  is  attached  to  this  belt  and  then  passed  around  the 
animal's  neck.  The  chains  on  belt  A  pass  through  the  front 
rings  on  belt  B.  Belt  C  is  placed  on  the  animal  as  shown. 
One  end  of  this  belt  is  tied  with  a  small  rope  to  the  back 
ring  in  belt  _£>.  On  the  other  side  of  C  have  a  rope  about 
8  feet  long  and  draw  this  rope  through  the  back  ring  in 
belt  B,  and  then  slip  the  belt  down.  This  rope  should 
be  long  enough  to  prevent  the  horse  from  kicking  you. 
When  he  tries  to  kick  it  must  be  pulled  tight.  The  next 
thing  to  do  is  to  pass  the  chains  through  the  back  rings 
on  belt  A,  but  you  need  not  hook  the  chains  on  belt  B  to 
the  hooks  on  O,  G,  unless  the  horse  is  a  very  large  one, 
If  possible  buckle  the  strap  behind  the  hind  legs  before 
swinging  the  horse. 

In  shoeing  the  front  feet  I  use  a  knee  strap.  In  working 
on  the  hind  feet  I  tie  a  rope  to  the  tail  and  buckle  a  strap 
around  the  fetlock.  This  trap  has  a  ring  through  which  I 
pass  the  rope  N.  Your  man  can  hold  this  rope,  or  you  can 
tie  it  to  anything  that  is  convenient.  With  this  rope  you 
can  hold  the  foot  so  that  you  can  work  on  it  with  ease. 
Sometimes  I  put  one  end  of  a  rope  around  the  fetlock  of  the 
other  hind  leg,  bring  the  other  end  of  the  rope  up  around 
the  neck  and  tie  it.  This  will  prevent  kicking.  It  will  raise 
2,000  pounds  if  well  built.— By  D.  &  K. 

Stocks  for  Kicking  Horses. 

My  method  of  making  stocks  for  shoeing  kicking  horses 
is  illustrated  in  the  accompanying  engraving,  Fig.  58,  in 


84 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOES. 


which  B  B  represents  the  sills,  8x8  inches  and  10  feet  long  ; 
A  A  are  the  ties,  4x4  inches  and  10  feet  long*;  C  C  C  C  are  the 
posts,  6x6  inches  and  9  feet  long-.  The  crossties  connecting* 
C  C  C  C  are  4x6  inches  and  3  feet  long.  The  platform  E  fits 
loosely  in  the  frame.  F  F  are  the  belts  on  which  the  horse 
is  hung ;  O  G  are  cranks  by  which  the  platform  is  raised 
and  lowered  ;  H  H  are  ropes  which  connect  the  roller  and 
the  platform.  The  frame  is  made  of  solid  wood.  One  of 
the  cranks  is  fastened  solidly  and  the  other  is  made  so  that 


Fig.  58.— Stocks  for  Shoeing  Kicking  Horses. 


I  can  take  it  out  to  let  the  horse  in.  When  I  get  the  horse 
in  I  tie  him  with  two  straps  so  that  he  cannot  move  his 
head  from  one  side  to  the  other.  I  then  raise  the  platform, 
carrying  him  with  it,  of  course,  as  high  as  I  desire  ;  the 
straps  F  are  then  hooked  over  the  pins  shown  in  the  en- 
gravings. These  pins  are  placed  to  suit  any  convenience. 
I  take  two  belts,  put  a  ring  in  each  end  of  each  belt,  and 
add  four  or  five  links  to  the  end  as  indicated  in  the  engrav- 
ing", and  when  the  horse  is  high  enough,  I  hook  the  links  of 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


85 


the  pins  and  let  the  platform  drop.  The  horse  can  then  be  shod 
with  ease.  In  this  way  I  have  shod  horses  that  could  not 
be  handled  by  any  other  plan.  To  make  the  belts  I  take 
two,  each  eight  inches  wide,  which  makes  the  belt  16  inches 
wide,  and  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  wider  the  belt  is 
the  better.— F?/  1ST.  P.  S. 

Stocks  for  Shoeing  Ugly  Mules  and  Horses. 

This  stock  consists  of  light  wood  posts  put  well  down  in 
the  ground .    These  posts  are  12  feet  long,  8  feet  high,  and 


Fig.  50.— Stock  for  Shoeing  Ugly  Mules. 


are  set  about  2|  feet  apart  and  secured  by  plates  at  top,  as 
shown  in  illustration,  Fig.  59.  To  the  cross  piece,  1,  is  at- 
tached the  belly-piece,  or  band,  5.  No.  2  is  the  roller,  to 
which  is  attached  the  belly-band.  Nos.  3  and  4  are  the  levers 
for  winding  up  the  roller.  When  wound  to  the  required 
height  it  is  held  in  place  by  permitting  one  end  of  the  lever 
to  strike  against  the  plate,  as  shown.    Two  holes  should  be 


86 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


mortised  through  the  roller,  at  right  angles  to  each  other, 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  levers.  Nos.  6  and  7  are 
movable  pieces,  which  are  only  in  use  while  the  mule  or 
horse  is  being  secured.  Then  they  are  detached  and  laid 
aside,  to  give  the  workman  free  access  to  the  feet 
of  the  animal.  At  No.  8  two  ropes  are  represented 
which  hold  the  hind-  feet  while  the  shoes  are  being  fitted 
and  nailed  to  the  forefoot.  If  not  fastened  back  the  animal 
is  apt  to  strike  forward  with  his  hind  feet  in  his  desperate 
efforts  to  free  himself,  and  perhaps  endanger  the  shoer. 
At  No.  9  is  shown  a  rope  which  encircles  the  neck  and  is 
made  fast  to  a  cross-piece,  as  shown  in  the  cut,  and  its  ob- 
ject is  to  keep  the  animal  from  rearing  up.  No.  10  is  a 
breast  strap  which  keeps  the  animal  from  jumping  forward. 
No.  11  is  a  rope  which  goes  over  a  roller  and  down  to 
another  roller,  to  which  it  is  made  fast.  This  latter  roller  is 
provided  with  a  crank  ~by  which  your  mule  can  be  drawn 
into  the  stocks  if  he  objects  to  going.  This  rope  serves  to 
hold  his  head  up  out  of  the  way,  and  defeat  any  sinister 
purpose  the  animal  may  have  of  using  his  teeth  on  the 
shoer.  When  I  get  them  into  this  stock  they  are  safe.  I 
can  shoe  the  worst  mule  or  horse  that  can  be  produced  in 
perfect  safety.  I  have  been  engaged  in  shoeing  horses  and 
mules  for  25  years,  and  have  never  failed  to  shoe  anything 
that  came  to  me.  Of  late,  however,  I  don't  fancy  being 
jerked  about  by  ugly  mules.  In  my  young  days  I  didn't 
want  any  better  fun  than  to  get  hold  of  a  wild  horse  or 
mule.—  By  T.  J.  Palin. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


8T 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PREPARING  THE  FOOT.     HOT  OR  COLD 
FITTING,  WHICH? 

The  advocates  of  each  system  of  fitting1  are  numerous, 
but  the  weight  of  evidence  seems  to  be  in  favor  of  cold  fit- 
ting*, in  theory,  and  more  or  less  hot,  in  practice.  The 
writer  has  seen  shoers  who  were,  so  to  speak,  warm  de- 
fenders of  the  cold  method,  employ  in  actual  practice,  heat 
enough  to  mark  the  surface  of  the  foot  so  as  to  indicate 
where  the  high  spots  were.  They  would  permit  the  shoe  to 
touch  the  foot  only  for  an  instant  and  the  heat  in  the  iron 
would  only  be  sufficient  to  slightly  discolor  the  hoof. 

Preparing  the  Horse's  Foot  for  the  Shoe. 

I  desire  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  the  proper  methods  of 
preparing  the  horse's  foot  for  the  shoe.  I  have  had  con- 
siderable experience — fifteen  years  as  farrier-major  in  the 
British  Army,  and  about  thirty  years  in  New  York  City 
and  State — and  should,  therefore,  know  whereof  I  speak. 

There  are  many  who  think  differently  from  me  on  the 
points  I  shall  touch  upon,  but  my  long  and  varied  experi- 
ence has  proven  my  views  to  be  correct — to  my  own  satis- 
action. 

In  the  first  place,  a  horseshoer  must  understand  a  little 
of  the  anatomy  of  the  horse's  foot ;  he  must  understand 
the  position  and  composition  of  those  parts  of  the  foot  with 


88 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOEB. 


which  he  has  to  deal ;  he  must  know  how  far  the  sensitive 
membrane  of  the  frog*  and  sole  extends,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
judge  when  and  where  to  cut,  and  where  to  drive  the  nails 
in  adjusting- the  shoe.  It  is  not  necessary  that  he  should 
have  a  thorough  scientific  knowledge,  but  just  enough  to  en- 
able him  to  understand  the  "  art  of  horseshoeing."  It  is 
for  want  of  even  a  little  of  this  knowledge  that  so  many 
horses  are  crippled  and  rendered  useless. 

A  great  many  horseshoers  think  nothing-  of  these  points, 


Fig.  60- Sectional  View  of  the  Foot. 


but  undertake  to  shoe  horses  imagining  that  they  have 
onty  a  hard  block  of  horn  to  cut  at,  burn  away  and  destroy 
without  inflicting  any  injury  to  the  foot,  and  that  nothing  is 
necessary  but  to  make  the  foot  look  as  "  fanciful  "  as  pos- 
sible (to  the  great  injury  of  the  foot) — anyway,  as  long  as 
tho  horse  is  shod  and  no  fault  found. 

Now,  this  we  know  (or,  at  least,  ought  to  know),  is  not 
right.  We  cannot  shoe  properly  unless  we  have  at  least  a 
little  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  the  foot. 

I  introduce  here  a  cut,  Fig.  60,  showing-  a  sectional  view 
of  the  foot  in  its  natural  condition ;  A  is  the  wall  of  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


89 


hoof,  B  is  the  horny  frog*,  C  is  the  sensitive  membrane  of 
the  frog*,  D  is  the  sensitive  membrane  of  the  sole,  E  is  the 
sensitive  laminae,  and  F  \s  the  plantar  cushion  (or  sensitive 
frog). 

It  can  been  seen  by  a  glance  at  the  cut  where  so  many 
mistakes  are  made  in  shoeing*  horses,  either  by  driving*  a 
nail  into  the  part  marked  F>  when  it  becomes  inflamed  and 
causes  great  pain,  and  will  often  cause  the  horse  to  go 
lame,  or  by  cutting*  away  at  the  frog*  until  they  strike  the 
sensitive  part  marked  F,  when  the  frog-  will  soon  w7aste 
away  and  smell  bad,  causing*  navicular  disease. 

Now,  my  idea  of  preparing*  a  foot  for  a  shoe  is  not  to  cut 
away  the  sole  ;  merely  leveling  it  off  with  the  rasp,  and  re- 
moving* any  splinters  or  loose  pieces,  and  shortening*  the 
toe  ;  and  not  cutting*  away  any  of  the  frog*,  but  merely  re- 
moving* any  rough  or  stringy  pieces. 

Do  not  cut  the  sole  away  until  you  can  spring*  it  with  your 
thumbs,  for  if  you  do  you  will  take  away  the  only  protec- 
tion the  foot  has  against  rough  roads  and  inclement 
weather.  You  will  wonder  w7hy  the  horse  is  lame  and  rest- 
less on  his  feet  (even  in  the  stable),  It  is  because  you  have 
cut  too  much  of  the  sole  away.  This  is  a  great  mistake 
many  horseshoers  make,  who,  imagining  they  cannot  hurt 
the  foot  by  trying  to  make  it  look  nice  and  clean,  sometimes 
cut  until  the  blood  comes.  This  is  wrong  ;  as  the  sole  is  the 
natural  protection  for  that  part  of  the  foot,  it  must  be  left 
as  near  its  natural  condition  as  possible,  thereby  saving  the 
foot  from  contraction  ;  for  it  is  quite  reasonable,  if  you  cut 
out  the  sole  you  weaken  the  sides,  causing  them  to  draw 
in. 

Do  not  cut  away  the  frog  until  you  have  struck  the  quick 
or  sensitive  frog — you  might  as  well  cut  the  skin  from  the 
sole  of  your  own  feet  and  try  to  walk  on  rough  roads,  or 
wear  rough  shoes  without  stockings.    Let  it  remain  in  its 


90 


THE  PRACTICAL  HOESESHOER. 


natural  condition,  let  it  touch  the  ground;  do  not  tvy  to 
make  it  look  neat  by  cutting*  away  a  most  valuable  sup- 
porter of  the  foot  and  leg*,  causing-  the  hoof  to  lose  its 
proper  shape  at  the  heels.  1  contend  that  the  frog  must 
touch  the  ground  in  order  to  fulfill  its  dut}^,  to  support  the 
foot  and  prevent  contraction,  for  while  it  does  there  can 
be  no  contraction,  and  it  is  the  only  remedy  for  contrac- 
tion. 

Do  not  open  up  the  heel,  as  it  is  worse  than  cutting  away 
the  frog — it  is  a  support  for  the  heel,  and  if  cut  out  it  causes 
a  weakness  of  the  wTalls  of  the  hoof  and  will  cause  contrac- 
tion of  the  heel.  Merely  shorten  the  toe  and  level  the  foot 
and  proceed  with  fitting-  the  shoe. — By  J.  R. 

Dressing  the  Foot. 

One  of  the  great  and  most  important  features  of  horse- 
shoeing is  the  dressing*  of  the  foot.    In  performing  this 


Fig.  61.— Showing  Foot  ready  for  the  Shoe. 

operation  it  is  first  very  important  that  the  tools  employed 
in  paring  be  in  good  condition.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
say  that  judgment  is  required,  as  some  feet  grow  more  rap- 
idly at  the  toe  and  others  at  the  heel.    Remove  the  dead 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


91 


hoof  from  the  sole  of  the  foot,  being-  very  particular  to  let 
the  frog*  bars  stand  on  either  side  ;  then  remove  the  horn  of 
the  foot,  and  rasp  down  level.  Do  not  pare  the  frog,  for  if 
you  do  the  tender  parts  will  be  exposed,  and  it  will  soon  be- 
come very  hard  and  unhealthy,  and  cause  the  foot  to  con- 
tract. In  Fig*.  611  have  endeavored  to  show  a  foot  ready 
to  receive  the  shoe. 

Another  important  matter  is  the  fitting*.  The  shoe  should 
in  every  instance  be  fitted  to  the  foot  and  not  the  foot  to  the 
shoe.  Heat  the  shoe  so  that  in  applying  it  will  mark  the  un- 


even surface  (if  any  there  be),  which  should  then  be  removed. 
Do  not  heat  it  red-hot  and  burn  the  foot  down  level,  as  that 
renders  the  horn  very  brittle.  Having*  the  shoe  fitted,  it  is 
now  ready  to  be  nailed  on.  The  nails  should  be  given  a 
g*ood  hold  in  the  sound  hoof.  The  heel  nail  on  the  front  foot 
should  be  driven  the  lowest ;  the  second  a  little  higher  ;  the 
third  and  the  fourth  also  a  little  higher  than  the  preceding 
ones,  as  indicated  in  Fig.  62. 

The  shoe  being  driven  on,  the  next  important  point  is  to 
draw  the  nail's  tightly  to  prevent  the  clinches  from  raising 
above  the  foot  and  the  shoe  getting  loose.    After  this  has 


Fig.  62.— Showing  Best  Position  for  Nails. 


92 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


been  done,  the  foot  is  ready  to  receive  the  finishing  touches, 
which  should  be  performed  in  a  neat  manner  by  filing*  the 
clinch  thin  and  turning  down,  care  being  taken  not  to  file 
a  gutter  under  the  clinches.  I  have  often  seen  a  foot  that 
deep  gutters  have  been  filed  in  crack  open  and  shell  off. 
After  the  clinches  have  been  turned  down,  rasp  off  the 
superfluous  hoof  even  with  the  shoe,  but  be  careful  not  to 
rasp  above  the  nail. — By  Toe  Knife. 

Preparing  the  Foot  for  Shoeing — Interfering— Forging — 
Hot  and  Cold  Fitting — Split  Hoofs. 

I  am  a  practical  horseshoer  and  not  a  writer.  What  I 
have  to  offer  is  from  experience. 

In  an  article  like  this  I  cannot  enter  into  the  anatomy  of 
the  horse's  foot,  even  if  I  had  a  profound  knowledge  of  it, 
which  I  confess  I  have  not. 

On  a  foot;  that  is  about  to  be  shod  it  is  necessary  to  re- 
move the  horn  to  a  level  with  the  sole  at  its  outer  margin 
at  the  toe,  and  at  the  heels  low  enough  to  obtain  the  de- 
sired angle,  which  varies  considerably  in  different  horses. 
It  should  be  kept  as  near  the  natural  condition  as  possible. 
The  sole  should  not  be  touched  with  knife  or  rasp  as  a 
general  practice,  and  it  may  be  made  to  support  a  part  of 
the  horse's  weight  by  having  the  shoe  rest  on  a  portion  of 
the  sole  equal  to  the  thickness  of  the  wall.  The  frog  should 
never  be  touched  with  a  knife,  except  to  remove  pieces  that 
may  have  become  partly  detached  by  exfoliation  and  remain 
flapping  on  the  foot.  In  such  cases,  it  is  better  to  remove 
these  loose  pieces,  as  the  foot  is  very  sensitive  to  the 
touch. 

A  shoe  adapted  to  the  foot  should  be  selected,  and  it 
must  be  fitted  as  accurately  as  possible,  and  not,  as  is  ofteu 
practised  by  shoers,  fitted  by  making  the  shoe  a  little  small- 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


93 


er,  and  rasping-  the  foot  to  fit  the  shoe.  This  is  one  of  the 
worst  habits  of  shoers,  and  is  undoubtedly  the  cause  of  nine- 
tenths  of  the  hard,  brittle  feet  we  meet  with. 

The  reason  for  this  is  plain.  The  hoof  is  covered  with 
an  epidermis  or  cuticle  of  silicious  material  which,  when 
destroyed,  enables  the  moisture  naturally  contained  in  the 
hoof  to  evaporate  too  rapidly,  causing-  the  hoof  to  become 
hard,  dry  and  brittle,  and  with  a  little  help  from  a  faulty 
shoe,  such  a  foot  is  eventually  likely  to  enter  that  state  of 
wide-spread  deformity  styled  contraction. 

The  shoe  should  be  attached  with  as  small  nails  as  prac- 
ticable, and  as  few  as  will  be  sufficient  to  retain  it,  never 
nailing  far  back  on  the  inside  quarter,  so  as  to  allow  the 
heels  to  expand.  Some  shoers  are  in  favor  of  punching  the 
holes  in  such  a  position  that  the  nails  may  be  driven  through 
the  middle  of  the  wall,  but  I  obtain  a  firmer  hold,  with  less 
liability  to  fracture  the  wall,  by  starting-  the  nail  at  the 
inside  of  the  wall,  and  driving  it  obliquely  upward  and 
outward. 

The  nail  should  be  of  the  best  material,  should  fit  snug 
in  the  shoe,  and  the  clinches  should  be  short  and  well  ham- 
mered down. 

Interference  is  a  very  common  annoj7ance,but  easily  pre- 
vented if  the  cause  is  properly  understood.  Interfering- 
may  almost  always  be  prevented  by  removing  the  portion 
of  the  shoe  which  does  the  injury.  This  may  be  ascertain- 
ed by  applying  a  boot  covered  with  paint,  and  trotting  the 
horse  until  a  part  of  the  paint  becomes  attached  to  the  op- 
posite shoe,  which  will  show  the  exact  spot  which  does  the 
mischief.  Some  horses  have  malformation  of  the  legs, 
which  predispose  them  to  interfere.  I  have  cured  some 
such  horses  by  rasping  the  outside  quarter  back  to  the  heel 
quite  thin,  but  never  resort  to  this  plan  when  I  can  substi- 
tute another,  as  it  is  apt  to  weaken  the  quarter  and  alter  the 


94 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


gait  of  the  horse.  One  side  of  the  foot  should  never  be 
raised  higher  than  the  other,  on  account  of  the  undue  strain 
which  will  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  ligaments,  and  the 
natural  pressure  upon  the  blood  vessels  and  secretory  ap- 
paratus upon  the  highest  side  prevents  them  from  perform- 
ing their  natural  functions,  and  another  evil  may  be  devel- 
oped as  bad  as  interfering. 

Forging  is  a  very  annoying  habit  which  may  be  prevent- 
ed by  -making  the  web  of  the  front  shoe  narrow  and  sloping 
the  edge  of  the  toe  off,  the  hind  shoe  backward  when  calk- 
ings  are  not  emploj^ed.  Forging  is  caused  by  the  edge  of 
the  hind  shoe  striking  against  the  inner  edge  of  the  front 
shoe  as  the  hind  foot  is  descending  to  its  place,  and  when 
the  front  foot  is  raised  and  about  to  be  carried  forward. 
The  method  indicated  will  allow  the  front  part  of  the  hind 
shoe  to  strike  the  sole  or  frog  of  the  front  foot  and  obviate 
the  noise  or  click.  It  may  also  be  prevented  by  using 
weighted  shoes.  Calkins  are  a  benefit  to  the  shoe  but  are 
objectionable  for  the  foot.  The}^  cause  the  shoe  to  wear 
longer,  and  will  secure  a  surer  footing  for  a  draft  horse  on 
some  kinds  of  ground,  but  their  recommendation  ends  there. 
The  greatest  objections  I  have  to  calkins  is  the  distance 
which  they  remove  the  frog  from  the  ground.  The  frog  in 
its  natural  condition  is  almost  on  a  level  with  the  lower 
edge  of  the  wall,  and  helps  to  sustain  the  weight  of  the  horse, 
which  would  otherwise  be  borne  by  the  laminae  which  con- 
nects the  coffin  bone  to  the  wall.  With  calkins  the  laminae 
can  sustain  the  weight,  but  the  frog  cannot  perform  its 
functions.  When  the  frog  can  come  in  contact  with  the 
ground  it  acts  like  a  spring,  preventing  concussion,  and 
when  pressed  hard  it  expands  the  foot.  Calkins  further- 
more increase  the  leverage  and  impose  unnecessary  strain 
on  the  nails,  and  should  not  be  employed  when  they  can  be 
dispensed  with. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER.  95 

Hot  and  cold  "fittings  both  have  their  advocates.  I  am 
entirely  in  favor  of  hot  fitting- ;  red  hot,  and  not  a  black 
hot.  After  the  shoe  is  fitted,  heat  it  red  hot  and  press  it  to 
the  foot  and  remove  it  instantly  ;  if  there  are  any  inequal- 
ities they  appear,  and  should  be  removed  with  a  rasp,  and 
the  shoe  again  pressed  to  the  foot  as  before,  until  a  perfect- 
ly level  bearing-  is  obtained.  A  hot  shoe  applied  for  two  or 
three  seconds  to  the  foot  cannot  injure  it,  as  it  only  affects 
the  part  presented  for  wear  and  tear,  and  that  in  a  very 
beneficial  manner  by  hardening-  it,  and  rendering-  it  less 
liable  to  the  action  of  moisture.  A  more  accurate  bear- 
ing- can  be  obtained  by  hot  fitting-  than  by  any  other 
method.  A  small,  narrow  clip,  judiciously  placed,  is  desir- 
able for  roadsters. 

The  manner  in  which  I  treat  split  hoof  with  the  best  suc- 
cess is  as  follows  :  I  make  a  shoe  rather  wider  in  the  web 
than  usual.  Then  draw  up  a  solid  clip  inside  of  the  extreme 
ends  of  the  branches  so  as  to  fit  on  the  inside  of  the  bars  ; 
punch  a  nail  hole  in  the  end  of  each  branch,  then  weaken 
the  shoe  directly  under  the  split.  If  the  split  be  at  the  toe, 
a  clip  may  be  placed  on  each  side  of  the  toe.  Clean  out  the 
split  with  some  small  instrument,  and  nail  on  with  strong- 
nails,  not  driven  too  tight  at  the  heels.  Then  spread  the 
shoe  until  the  crack  is  nearly  closed.  It  will  not  require 
much  spreading,  as  the  shoe  will  bend  directly  under  the 
-split.  No  cutting  or  burning  should  be  done,  but  some  stim- 
ulating ointment  that  would  keep  the  skin  soft,  applied  to 
the  coronet  would  be  beneficial. 

Shoes  of  all  horses  cannot  be  the  same,  and  it  is  hard  to 
recommend  any  certain  form  of  shoe  to  be  used  generally. 
A  shoe  should  be  as  Fight  as  the  nature  of  the  horse's  labor 
will  admit.  A  heavier  shoe  cannot  possibly  benefit  the  foot, 
and  it  imposes  a  vast  amount  of  unnecessary  labor  upon  the 
animal;  far  more,  indeed;  than  we  are  apt  to  suppose, 


96 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


until  we  observe  how  often  a  horse  raises  his  feet  in  a  given 
time.  Then  by  multiplying*  that  by  the  weight  of  the  shoe, 
one  can  see  what  an  enormous  weight  is  raised  by  a  horse 
in  a  few  hours'  traveling  and  that,  too,  in  a  very  disadvan- 
tageous manner,  it  being  raised  as  with  a  lever,  with  the 
weight  on  the  long  end. — By  J.  C.  Buck. 

The  True  Way  to  Shoe  Horses. 

While  there  have  been  great  improvements  in  almost 
everything  else  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  I  have 
noticed  little,  if  any,  improvement  in  horseshoeing. 

I  started  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  1858,  and  have 
never  done  anything*  else.  I  claim  to  be  expert  at  all  kinds 
of  carriage-work  and  horseshoeing.  Some  people  say  that 
a  carriage-ironer  cannot  know  how  to  shoe  a  horse.  I  can 
give  you  the  names  of  hundreds  of  our  best  citizens  who 
will  testify  to  my  capacity  as  a  horseshoer,  and  after  you 
have  read  about  my  method  you  can  judge  for  yourself. 

For  the  past  eighteen  years  I  have  been  constantly  shoe- 
ing1 horses,  and  have  learned  the  ways  of  several  States  and 
Canada,  and  I  assert  positively  that  there  is  only  one  way 
to  shoe  a  horse  so  that  he  will  travel  easj^  and  at  the  same 
time  keep  the  hoof  sound.  Some  may  say  that  all  horses 
cannot  be  shod  in  the  same  way,  but  I  claim  they  can. 
Allow  me  to  describe  the  method  I  use,  and  I  believe  you 
will  agree  with  me  in  the  statement  just  made.  If  the  fol- 
lowing instructions  are  carefully  followed  the  result  will  be 
satisfactory  in  every  case. 

First,  I  take  a  g*ood  sixteen-inch  rasp  and  rasp  down  the 
foot  level,  watching  that  the  heels  are  not  cut  down  too 
low.  After  the  foot  is  trimmed  to  the  proper  shape,  I  use  a 
knife  to  smooth  it,  and  never  cut  the  braces  of  the  foot,  for 
they  are  the  strength  of  it ;  and  never  use  the  knife  on  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


97 


frog,  for  it  is  the  heart  of  the  foot.  The  frog*  sheds  off  once 
in  two  or  three  months,  when  the  foot  is  in  a  healthy  con- 
dition. The  frog-  is  intended  for  a  cushion,  and  the  larger 
it  is  the  better.  When  a  horse  trots  he  always  strikes  the 
heels  to  the  ground  first,  and  if  he  has  a  large  frog  exposed 
to  strike  first  it  will  naturally  lessen  the  jar  to  the  leg,  and 
operate  to  keep  the  heels  weU  spread.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  the  frog  is  cut  out,  what  is  left  becomes  dry,  so  dry  that 
it  cannot  be  cut  with  a  knife,  and  the  heels  shrink  to- 
gether. 

After  having  trimmed  the  feet,  as  I  have  stated,  to  the 
proper  size,  I  select  a  shoe  just  large  enough  to  cover  the 
foot,  and  then  shape  it  to  fit.  Applying  it  to  the  hoof,  I 
watch  that  the  hoof  is  scorched  only  just  enough  to  show 
the  unevenness  of  the  foot,  and  then  with  a  rasp  or  knife 
smooth  true.  In  this  way  I  never  fail  to  fit  a  shoe  properly. 
If  the  shoe  is  fitted  correctly,  the  heels  are  always  well 
spread  out.  If  the  shoes  are  too  long  the  heels  will  be 
drawn  together,  and  the  foot,  being  thus  pinched,  becomes 
contracted,  and  results  in  a  lame  horse. 

Next,  the  shoes  should  always  be  concaved  on  the  fore 
feet.  Never  put  hind  shoes  on  the  fore  feet.  The  shoe 
should  bear  only  on  the  outer  rim  of  the  hoof,  and  watch 
that  it  bears  equally  all  around,  and  not  simply  on  the  toe 
and  heel.  If  these  directions  are  followed,  the  horse  will 
never  be  troubled  with  lameness  in  the  feet,  caused  by  im- 
proper shoeing.  If  the  shoe  is  not  left  on  more  than  sixty 
days,  bruises  or  corns  cannot  form  in  the  hoof. 

Now^  a  word  about  driving  nails,  and  I  have  done.  Nails 
should  never  be  driven  high,  and  then  in  six  or  eight  weeks 
the  foot  will  have  grown  sufficiently  to  enable  the  shoer  to 
cut  out  the  old  nail-holes,  leaving  sound  hoofs.  If  the  nails, 
however,  are  driven  high,  at  the  next  shoeing,  the  hoof  will 
not  have  grown  enough  to  cut  down  to  the  old  nail-holes3 


98 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


and  the  water  and  mud  will  soak  into  these  old  holes  and 
cause  the  hoof  to  become  rotten  and  brittle. 

I  will  guarantee  satisfaction  in  all  cases,  and  I  further 
more  say  that  deformed  feet  can  be  remodeled  and  cured 
under  my  treatment. — By  A.  Larock. 

Shoeing  for  Sound  Feet. 

Horseshoeing  should  be  done  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
keep  healthy,  sound  feet  in  their  natural  condition,  and  to 
make  unhealthy  ones  as  near  sound  as  possible.  I  have 
been  especially  interested  in  the  theories  bought  forward 
on  the  question  of  %<  Hot  vs.  Cold  Fitting."  Some  make  it 
very  plain  that  if  hot  fitting  is  practised  it  is  sure  to  ruin 
the  horse.  Others  again  show  clearly  that  cold  fitting  is 
almost  as  injurious,  and  entails  the  extra  drawback  of 
waste  of  time. 

It  seems  to  me-that  a  combination  of  the  two  methods 
would  bring  better  results  than  either  would  alone.  I  ad- 
vocate hot  fitting  and  cold  practice  ;  that  is,  fit  the  shoe 
hot,  and  scarcely  touch  the  foot  with  it,  and  when  the  foot 
is  sore  or  diseased  don't  even  touch  it,  but  bring  the  shoe 
close  enongh  to  itio  enable  you  to  shape  it  to  the  foot,  in- 
stead of  fitting  the  foot  to  the  shoe.  Of  course  in  diseased 
feet  we  cannot  always  fit  the  shoe  to  the  foot,  but  we  can 
fit  the  shoe  as  nearly  as  possible  to  where  the  foot  ought  to 
be,  using  the  frog  for  a  center  guide. 

Horseshoeing  is  a  trade  that  needs  good  judgment  and 
a  large  amount  of  practical  common  sense,  as  each  horse  is 
different  from  all  others,  and  we  might  say  that  each  foot 
on  the  same  horse  is  different  from  the  other  three.  Each 
individual  foot  must  be  shod  according  to  its  peculiarities 
or  disease.  Hence  the  impossibility  of  making  any  one  rule 
that  will  answer  for  all  horses,    Even  those  afflicted  with 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


90 


the  same  trouble  will  often  require  different  treatment. 
"One  man's  meat  is  another  man's  poison/' is  a  saying 
that  applies  to  horses  as  well  as  to  men. 

Tn  paring1  the  foot  cut  only  the  dead  horn  away,  and  on 
no  condition  pare  the  sole,  but  with  your  knife  scrape  out 
the  loose  and  dead  layers,  if  there  are  any.  Our  object 
should  be  to  assist  nature  against  the  unnatural  wear  to 
which  the  foot  is  subjected  and  not  to  try  to  improve  on  a 
healthy  foot. 

Fit  the  foot  true  and  let  it  stand  squarely  on  the  floor. 
If  the  horse  interferes  do  not  cut  one  side  of  the  foot  more, 
cant  the  foot,  twist  the  ankle  and  throw  the  whole  limb  out 
of  balance,  but  keep  it  true  and  in  balance  and  fit  the  shoe 
to  stop  the  interfering'.  There  are  but  few  cases  of  inter- 
fering* that  cannot  be  cured  with  proper  feed,  care,  and 
driving*  in  connection  with  shoeing*.  If  the  shoe  and  foot 
are  fitted  true,  as  they  should  be,  there  will  be  a  true,  even 
bearing*  all  around  the  wall.  Bring*  the  heels  of  the  shoe 
in,  so  that  the  point  of  the  wall  where  it  joins  the  bar  will 
rest  on  the  shoe.  Do  not  spread  the  heels  wide  to  avoid 
pinching*  or  contraction  of  the  foot.  The  wide  heels  and 
high  calks — as  far  as  shoeing*  is  responsible  for  contracted 
feet — cause  more  of  them  than  all  other  methods  put  to- 
gether. The  wide  heels  and  high  calks  leave  a  point  of 
horn  to  come  down  between  the  heels  of  the  shoe  and  pre- 
vent the  natural  action  of  the  foot.  In  shoeing  contracted 
feet  make  the  inside  of  the  shoe  heels  the  highest,  or  level 
them  out,  so  that  every  time  the  horse  steps  it  tends  to 
spread  the  foot.  Use  as  few  and  as  small  nails  as  possible, 
and  secure  the  shoe  firmly  in  its  place.  In  winter  use  as 
light  calkins  as  are  consistent  with  the  use  of  the  horse, 
and  in  summer  put  none  at  all  on  driving  horses  at  least, 
and  if  a  common  sense  shoe  like  the  "  Juniata"  is  used,  flat 
on  the  top  and  concave  on  the  bottom,  many  team  horses 


100 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOED. 


can  haul  heavier  loads  and  do  it  easier  than  the}7  can  on 
calkins. 

In  shoeing*  a  spavined  horse  keep  the  toe  low,  and  use  a 
very  long-  shoe  with  high  heels  on  the  spavined  leg,  as  the 
horse  has  partly  or  entirely  lost  the  use  of  the  hock  joint. 
The  method  will  make  the  horse  travel  much  easier  and 
greatly  relieve  the  lameness. 

I  do  not  believe  in  the  so-called  spring  heels  ;  I  regard 
them  as  a  positive  injury  to  the  foot.  To  illustrate  :  A 
few  days  ago  a  horse  came  to  my  shop  with  one  front  shoe 
bent  nearly  an  inch.  The  horse  had  been  driven  about 
thklyy  miles  since  he  stepped  on  the  shoe.  After  taking 
the  shoe  off  I  found  the  foot  twisted  about  three-fourths 
of  an  inch.  Now,  if  in  traveling  thirty  miles  one-quarter 
of  the  foot  can  be  driven  past  the  other  three-fourths  of  an 
inch,  so  as  to  rest  on  a  twisted  shoe,  why  will  not  the  foot, 
instead  of  the  shoe,  do  the  springing  when  the  so-called 
spring  heels  are  used  ?  The  shoe  being  nailed  at  the  toe, 
when  the  horse  puts  his  foot  down  it  makes  a  lever  pur- 
chase, and  the  heaviest  pressure  comes  on  the  weakest  part 
of  the  foot,  the  heel  quarter,  where  the  wall  is  the  thinnest, 
and  receives  the  least  support. — By  Yankee  Black- 
smith. 

For  Hot  Fitting. 

I  believe  it  was  about  the  year  1840,  that  a  certain  Mr. 
Riquet,  a  veterinary  surgeon,  introduced  what  was  termed 
a  podometrical  "  method  of  shoeing.  From  the  time  the 
method  of  fitting  shoes  to  the  hoof  was  introduced,  a  few 
inexperienced  and  professional  men  imagined  that  injury 
was  done  to  the  horse's  foot.  In  rare  cases  this  was  the 
fact,  for  the  custom  was  to  pare  the  hoof  down  almost  to 
the  quick.  So  that  we  cannot  wonder  that  a  few  careless 
workmen  would  press  the  hot  shoe  so  long  upon  the  hoof 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


101 


as  to  permit  the  border  of  the  sensitive  sole  to  suffer  from 
the  high  temperature.  These  accidents  appear,  however, 
to  have  been  infrequent,  as  we  read  of  very  few  cases  of  this 
kind. 

The  idea  prevails  to  some  extent,  that  hot  fitting-  is  hurt- 
ful, and  it  was  to  guard  against  this  that  the  "  podometer  " 
was  invented.  This  instrument  was  devised  for  the  purpose 
of  taking- the  dimensions  of  the  foot.  It  was  ingenious, 
but  deficient,  as  it  took  the  exact  size,  but  not  the  shape  of 
the  foot.  The  size  of  the  foot  was  then  entered  in  a  register, 
and  sent  to  the  forge,  where  the  shoes  were  forged  accord- 
ing to  the  measure  of  the  foot  after  it  had  been  pared  down. 
Now,  it  seems  as  though  anyone  could  drive  the  shoe  on, 
when  the  horse  was  in  the  stable  or  on  the  highway;  cer- 
tainly such  shoes  could  not  fit  as  though  the  impression 
had  been  made  by  a  heated  shoe.  The  trouble  is  that  when 
the  hoof  is  pared  down  and  the  cold  shoe  placed  thereon, 
more  or  less  cavities  will  remain  between  the  hoof  and  shoe, 
so  that  the  hoof  does  not  rest  equally  on  the  shoe.  By  hot 
fitting,  of  course,  a  perfect  fit  can  be  secured.  When  the 
shoe  is  applied  hot,  the  action  of  the  heat  on  the  hoof  has  a 
tendency  to  soften  the  hoof,  so  that  when  the  nail  is  driven 
in,  it  can  be  driven  more  easily  and  accurately  ;  and  as  the 
hoof  cools,  it  contracts  about  the  nails  and  holds  them  firmly 
in  their  places,  as  shown  by  the  following  : 

"  At  the  Cavalry  School  of  Saumur,  in  an  experiment  cov- 
ering an  interval  of  over  three  years,  from  September  22, 
1841,  to  October  5,  1844,  all  the  near-sided  horses  of  the 
school  were  shod  by  the  cold,  and  the  off-sided  ones  by  the 
hot  method.  In  that  space  of  time,  out  of  22,579  horses 
that  wrere  fitted  in  the  cold  state,  386  shoes  were  lost,  de- 
tached or  broken,  and  only  123  out  of  the  same  number  were 
lost,  that  were  fitted  while  hot.  That  is,  in  the  first  case  one 
shoe  in  58  was  detached,  while  in  the  second  case  one  shoe 


102 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


out  of  103  was  lost.  This  great  difference  would  have  been 
still  greater  if  the  hot  method  had  been  practised  in  the  or- 
dinary manner.  But  the  school  was  then  laboring- under  an 
impression  developed  by  the  Podometric  System,  that  there 
was  danger  of  burning-  the  sole,  and  an  order  was  given  to 
the  farriers  to  apply  the  hot  shoes  very  lightly,  and  to  re- 
move that  part  of  the  hoof  which  had  been  in  contact  with 
the  shoe.  This  was  almost  a  return  to  the  cold  method  of 
fitting. 

Colonel  Ambert,  also  of  the  Saumur  School,  observed  that, 
out  of  600  horses,  from  55  to  60  lost  their  shoes  every  month 
during  the  employment  of  cold  fitting,  or  in  other  words, 
the  regiment  lost  a  shoe  every  hour  they  marched,  while 
with  the  system  of  hot  fitting  the  regiment  lost  only  one 
shoe  in  eight  days. 

After  careful  observation  and  many  experiments,  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  hot  fitting  is  not  attended  with 
any  danger  when  properly  practised,  and  that  hot  shoeing, 
as  practised  at  that  time,  allows  the  workmen  to  make  the 
shoe  to  fit  the  foot,  an  advantage  that  the  cold  shoeing  does 
not  possess.  In  fact,  all  the  most  distinguished  veterinary 
professors  or  practitioners  who  have  studied  the  subject, 
have  unhesitatingly  given  the  preference  to  hot  fitting. — 
By  Frank  I.  Gilbert. 

Favors  Hot  Fitting  for  Oxen. 

A  person  who  has  practised  cold  fitting  all  his  life,  of 
course  thinks  no  other  system  is  right,  and  is  apt  to  regard 
the  advocates  of  hot  fitting  as  being  greatly  in  the  dark. 
He  feels  quite  sure  that  the  animals  subjected  to  such  bar- 
barous and  cruel  treatment  will  be  certainly  ruined. 

Now,  what  is  the  object  in  fitting  a  shoe  hot  ?  I  answer, 
to  get  a  perfect  and  solid  bearing  which  can  be  obtained 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOED.  103 

in  no  other  way,  as  every  smith  well  knows.  Again  I 
inquire,  Why  is  so  perfect  a  fit  desirable  ?  The  only  an- 
swer that  can  be  given  is,  because  the  shoe  will  then  stay 
upon  the  foot  much  longer  than  it  otherwise  would.  But 
is  it  a  fact  that  shoes  hot  litted  will  stay  on  much  longer 
than  those  cold  fitted  ?  We  claim  that  such  is  the  case. 
This  matter  has  been  thoroughly  tested,  with  the  most  sat- 
isfactory results  in  favor  of  hot  fitting.  Some  think  hot 
fitting  rots  the  hoof  and  makes  it  brittle,  and  tell  us  that 
some  horses  have  had  their  feet  so  injured  by  hot  fitting  that 
their  shoes  could  not  be  kept  on  a  week.  I  don't  doubt 
this  statement,  for  I  know  very  well  that  there  are  many 
bunglers  connected  with  the  trade  that  never  ought  to  be 
allowed  to  meddle  with  a  horse's  foot ;  and  I  unhesitat- 
ingly affirm  that  nine-tenths  of  the  evils  supposed  to  be 
the  result  of  hot  fitting  can  be  traced  directly  or  indirect- 
ly to  the  incompetency  or  carelessness  of  the  shoer.  That 
there  are  dangers  attending  the  hot-fitting  system,  which 
should  be  carefully  guarded  against,  I  frankly  admit. 
Horses  and  oxen  are  often  lamed  through  gross  careless- 
ness on  the  part  of  the  shoer.  A  smith  who  will  pare 
the  foot  down  so  near  the  quick  that  it  will  readily  yield 
under  the  pressure  of  the  thumb  and  then  press  the  hot 
shoe  upon  it,  and  hold  it  there  until  it  is  imbedded  into 
the  foot  the  whole  thickness  of  the  shoe,  causing  the  animal 
to  spring  and  cringe,  deserves  the  severest  censure  and 
ought  to  leave  the  business.  I  will  now  give  my  w&y  of  hot 
fitting  in  shoeing  cattle.  For  horses  I  seldom  fit  the  shoes  hot, 
it  not  being  necessary,  as  they  stay  on  quite  long  enough 
if  put  on  cold,  but  with  oxen  it  is  different. 

In  preparing  the  foot  I  use  neither  butteris  nor  knife,  but 
instead  a  sharp  rasp.  I  rasp  the  foot  down  level,  but  not  so 
much  that  it  will  give  under  thumb-pressure.  In  applying  the 
hot  shoe  I  am  careful  to  see  that  it  does  not  remain  on  the 


104 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSEStfOER. 


foot  over  two  seconds  at  a  time.  It  should  be  raised  a 
little  two  or  three  times  during-  the  operation,  in  order  that 
the  cold  air  may  keep  the  heat  from  penetrating*  to  the 
quick.  As  soon  as  an  impression  is  obtained  I  remove  the 
shoe.  I  also  burn  in  the  clinches.  This  has  been  my  method 
of  shoeing  cattle  for  many  years,  and  I  have  gained  a  reputa- 
tion for  making  shoes  "  hang  on  "  better  than  any  cold  fit- 
ter can  claim  in  my  vicinity.  Furthermore,  I  have  seen  no 
rotten  or  brittle  hoofs.  Another  advantage  gained  in  hot 
fitting  is  that  the  heat  has  a  tendency  to  soften  the  hoof,  and 
this  allows  nails  to  be  driven  more  easily  and  accurately  in 
cold  weather.  To  sum  the  matter  up,  I  believe  that  no  bad 
effect  can  result  from  hot  fitting-  if  the  work  is  properly 
done.— By  W.  H.  B. 

Favors  Hot  Fitting. 

The  reasons  given  for  cold  fitting-  are  about  as  follows  : 

1.  (i  That  burning  the  hoof  seems  unnatural,  closing  its 
pores,  tending-  to  keep  the  hoof  dry,"  etc.,  and  that  "  hot 
fitting"  is  adopted  because  it  is  a  quicker  method. 

2.  "  Hot  fitting  stops  the  pores ;  it  kills  the  nerves  and 
fibre ;  the  foot  is  made  brittle  ;  the  shoe  will  get  loose 
sooner ;  the  sole  of  the  foot  will  separate  from  the  inner 
hoof  about  once  a  year  ;  the  foot  is  made  tender  and  the 
horse  lamed  for  life  ;"  all  of  w7hich,  if  true,  would  certainly 
furnish  sufficient  reasons  for  abandoning-  the  practice  for- 
ever. 

Now,  from  these  opinions,  backed  up  as  I  know  they  are 
by  many  writers  upon  the  subject,  both  ancient  and  mod- 
ern, I,  with  all  due  respect,  must  beg  leave  to  dissent.  The 
position  I  take  is  this,  that  ''hot  fitting"  is  not  only  the 
quickest  but  that  it  is  the  best  method.  By  "  hot  fitting  " 
I  do  not  mean  to  burn  away  for  several  minutes  to  save 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


105 


cutting,  but  after  the  foot  is  properly  prepared  to  apply  the 
hot  shoe  for  a  moment,  then  remove  and  use  the  knife  to 
remove  the  inequalities.  Then  apply  the  shoe  until  the 
whole  surface  has  been  seared,  and  this  takes  but  an  instant's 
application  of  the  hot  shoe.  If  the  foot  has  been  properly 
prepared,  and  the  shoe  is  of  the  right  size  and  shape,  we 
shall  have  that  most  desirable  thing- — a  perfect  fit,  but  more 
important  than  even  that,  we  shall  by  the  hot  iron  have 
closed  the  pores  of  the  horn  and  thus  prevented  the  escape 
of  the  moisture  which  nature  provides  for  this  living  struc- 
ture. I  want  to  emphasize  this  fact  that  the  hoof  is  a  living 
structure,  nourished  and  supplied  with  ail  that  is  necessary 
for  its  growth  and  health  from  the  inside ;  that  is,  in  a 
healthy  foot.  In  the  case  of  the  animal  running  in  the  field 
without  shoes,  the  hoof  is  worn  or  bruised  off,  keeping  the 
pores  closed,  upon  the  same  plan  upon  which  the  ecraseur 
operates  in  severing  blood  vessels  ;  but  in  cutting  the  hoof 
we  leave  these  pores  exposed,  and  the  nearer  we  cut  to  the 
sensitive  parts  the  greater  number  we  expose,  the  more 
moisture  will  escape,  and  the  greater  injury  we  shall  in- 
flict. 

Now  just  here  the  best  reason  for  "hot  fitting"  comes  in. 
By  touching  lightly  the  cut  surface  we  seal  up  the  avenues 
by  which  moisture  escapes,  and  thus  prevent  the  drying  of 
the  horn.  This  theory  can  be  easily  tested.  Let  anyone 
take  the  knife  and  rasp  and  pare  the  foot  in  the  ordinary 
way  and  fit  the  shoe  cold,  and  then  take  another  foot  of  the 
same  animal  and  pare  and  fit  the  shoe  hot,  and  after  the 
lapse  of  a  few  hours  remove  the  shoes.  The  burned  hoof 
will  have  a  hard,  thin  crust  upon  it,  and  just  under  this  it 
will  be  as  moist  as  when  cut,  but  the  other  one  will  be  found 
hard  and  dry  for  a  considerable  depth. 

This  burning  counteracts  the  evil  of  the  unnatural  process 
of  cutting  the  hoof. 


106 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


How  antyone  who  has  given  the  subject  thought  can  be- 
lieve that  it  is  injurious  to  touch  the  hot  shoe  to  the  super- 
fluous horn  upon  the  bottom  of  the  hoof,  horn  which  has 
served  its  purpose  and  would  be  entirely  worn  away  were 
the  animal  to  go  barefooted  for  a  short  time,  considering, 
too,  the  fact  that  horn  is  a  non-conductor  of  heat,  passes 
nry  comprehension. 

I  am  satisfied  that  the  evils  attributed  to  "  hot  fitting" 
are  due  to  other  causes  which  only  the  most  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  physiolog}7  and  anatomy  of  the  parts,  and 
a  long  experience  will  reveal. 

The  business  of  shoeing  and  managing  horses'  feet  so  as 
to  preserve  soundness  -and  restore  those  which  have  become 
ill-shapen  and  diseased,  is  one  whose' importance  canscarce- 
\y  be  overestimated. — By  E.  A.  McLellan. 

Against  Hot  Fitting. 

I  cannot  see  why  anyone  is  in  favor  of  hot  fitting,  unless 
it  is  easier  done.  It  surely  is  not  because  a  hot  shoe  is 
beneficial  to  the  hoof.  Do  3rou  think  that  you  can  take 
a  hot  shoe  and  burn  a  bearing  without  injury  to  the 
hoof? 

Heat  is  one  of  the  worst  enemies  of  the  health  and  tough- 
ness of  a  horse's  hoof.  I  never  saw  a  hoof  that  had  been 
subjected  to  hot  fitting  for  any  length  of  time  that  was  not 
greatly  damaged,  being  hard,  dry  and  brittle.  You  cannot 
apply  a  hot  shoe  to  a  horse's  hoof  without  injury.  If  the  foot 
is  flat  or  thin  it  will  stand  very  little  heat,  and  at  any  rate 
you  are  working  on  dangerous  ground.  A  foot  dressed 
with  nippers,  knife  and  rasp  to  a  level  bearing,  and  shoe 
properly  fitted  and  nailed,  has  none  of  the  above  objections. 
—By  R.  T. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


107 


Against  Hot  Fitting. 

Hot  fitting1  is  a  barbarous  practice  ;  it  draws  the  oil  and 
moisture  from  the  foot  and  leaves  it  crisp  and  brittle.  I 
have  seen  smiths  hold  a  red-hot  shoe  on  a  foot  until  it  has 
been  fried  like  a  steak. 

"Why  is  this  done  ? 

Because  they  are  too  lazy  to  use  the  knife  and  rasp.  A 
smith  is  justified  in  heating  a  shoe  hot  enough  to  make  an 
impression  on  the  foot,  but  no  hotter,  and  a  smith  who  can- 
not fit  a  shoe  in  this  way  ought  to  leave  the  business.  I  do 
not  think  that  any  rules  from  books  can  be  of  much  use  to 
shoers,  because  a  style  of  shoeing  that  will  answer  well  for 
one  horse  may  not  do  at  all  for  the  next.  I  think  horse- 
shoeing requires  more  study  than  any  other  part  of  the 
smith's  trade. — By  U.  B. 

Cold  Fitting  Best. 

I  notice  that  a  few  smiths  are  not  yet  alive  to  the  absurd- 
ity of  hot  fitting.  I  regard  the  practice  as  unworthy  of 
civilized  men.  My  way  is  to  keep  on  hand  shoes  of  every 
shape  and  size  likely  to  be  called  for,  and  by  doing  this  I 
avoid  the  necessity  for  heating  while  shoeing.  Keep  a  sharp 
butteris  for  trimming  feet,  and  get  a  nice  fit  without  burn- 
ing. 

Time  and  coal  are  lost  in  reheating,  and,  moreover,  the 
shoe  must  be  made  quite  hot,  so  that  it  may  burn  the  out- 
side quickly  without  heating  the  foot  more  than  is  necessary. 
But  when  the  shoe  has  cooled  it  will  not  fit  the  impression 
in  the  hoof,  because  the  iron  has,  of  course,  shrunk.  So 
that,  after  all,  burning  will  not  make  a  shoe  level.  I  can 
put  a  shoe  on  by  the  time  a  man  who  burns  is  ready  to  drive 
the  first  nail. 

Perhaps  some  men  are  fond  of  burning  because  they  have 


108 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOEK. 


no  skill  in  using  the  butteris  or  knife.  It  requires  a  good 
deal  of  practice  to  use  these  tools  properly,  but  ai^  boy  or 
clumsy  old  farmer  can  burn  a  foot. 

I  don't  know  how  this  idea  of  hot  fitting*  originated,  but  it 
is  about  on  a  par  with  the  practice  of  Indians  in  burning 
away  the  surplus  wood  in  shaving  tbols  and  implements. 
There  was  a  time,  too,  when  farmers  burned  logs  instead  of 
sawing  them  ;  but  that  was  long  ago.  Farmers  don't  burn 
logs  now.  Yet  it  is  just  as  sensible  to  do  so  as  to  apply 
a  red-hot  shoe  to  a  horse's  hoof.  Let  the  man  who  believes 
in  putting  a  hot  shoe  on  within  three-eighths  of  an  inch  of 
live  flesh  and  blood  try  the  experiment  of  placing  a  hot 
horse-nail  head  on  his  big  toe  nail,  and  allowing  it  to  remain 
there  until  its  shape  is  well  defined  on  the  nail.  I  think  he 
would  then  discover  that  hot  fitting  was  not  such  a  brilliant 
idea  as  he  had  imagined. 

Another  objection  to  burning  a  hoof  is  that  it  causes  an 
offensive  smell  and  smoke,  and  makes  the  horse  jerk  and 
twist  so  that  it  is  a  wonder  some  smiths  don't  get  kicked  to 
death.— .By  F.  B. 

Against  Hot  Fitting. 

It  is  well  known  to  all  horseshoers  that  many  horses' 
feet,  particularly  the  front  ones,  and  especially  in  summer 
time,  are  very  hard  and  brittle,  and  about  as  difficult  to  cut 
as  a  cow's  horn.  Now,  if  a  red-hot  shoe  is  held  to  a  horse's 
hoof  for  a  few  seconds  the  hoof  can  be  immediately  cut  as 
easily  as  a  piece  of  mellow  cheese.  Mind  what  I  say,  the 
foot  is  always  cut  instantly  after  the  burning,  or  there  is 
nothing  gained  by  the  operation.  This  alone  is  the  reason 
why  hot  fitters  follow  the  practice,  and  anything  else  that 
is  said  about  it  is  merely  a  waste  of  words,  intended  to  mis- 
lead. The  word  cold  fitting*  is  a  misnomer,  for  there  is  no 
such  thing.  All  shoes  are  fitted  to  the  horses'  feet  while  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


109 


shoes  are  hot.  As  the  shoe  is  worked  on  the  anvil,  so  it  is 
fitted  or  formed  to  the  foot.  It  is  impossible  to  fit  a  shoe 
to  a  horse's  foot  without  scorching-  the  foot  a  little,  or  if  pos- 
sible, no  man  would  take  the  trouble  with  a  cold  shoe  for 
the  very  good  reason  "  That  the  devil  gets  the  smith  that 
hammers  cold  iron." 

But  to  do  as  some  smiths  do,  hold  a  red-hot  shoe  to  a 
horse's  foot  until  the  smoke  of  the  burning  hoof  actualty 
hides  the  smith,  is  barbarous  in  the  extreme.  Doubtless 
there  are  some  honest,  well-meaning,  but  very  hard-worked 
horseshoers  that  quiet  their  consciences  by  the  thought  that 
burning  the  hoofs  does  the  horse  little  or  no  harm,  and  ena- 
bles them  to  do  more  and  easier  work.  With  all  due  defer- 
ence to  these  men,  I  say  most  emphatically,  the  practice  is 
one  of  the  most  injurious  to  which  a  horse  can  be  subjected. 

It  is  all  nonsense  to  say  that  horseshoes  cannot  be  made 
to  stay  on  and  wear  as  well  by  cold  fitting  as  by  hot  fitting. 
I  have  seen  horses  shod  by  cold  fitting,  and  the  shoes  have 
remained  on  over  three  months  and  done  well  all  that  time, 
and  the  horses  were  working  every  day,  Sundays,  excepted. 
I  do  not  advocate  any  such  thing,  however,  for  in  my  opin- 
ion six  weeks  is  a  long  enough  time  for  shoes  to  stay  on  any 
horse's  feet. 

In  conclusion  I  will  say,  if  all  horse  owners  would  insist 
that  there  must  be  no  more  burning  of  their  horses'  feet 
when  shod  (even  if  something  more  must  be  paid  for  the 
work),  the  practice  would  cease  but  not  till  then. — By  M. 
D.  D, 


CHAPTER  V- 


CONTRACTED  FEET. 

Contraction  probably  gives  shoers  more  trouble  than  any 
other  one  thing-  connected  with  shoeing.  In  greater  or  less 
degree  contraction  is  present  in  a  large  percentage  of  feet. 
The  good  shoer  is  constantly  employed  in  an  effort  to 
guard  against  it,  and  if  horse  owners  were  as  intelligent  as 
the}7  ought  to  be,  and  careful  to  exercise  that  intelligence,  he 
would,  more  frequently  than  he  does,  succeed  in  reducing 
the  difficulty  to  a  minimum.  The  different  methods  em- 
ployed by  shoers  to  overcome  this  trouble  are  presented  in 
this  chapter. 

Causes  of  Contraction. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  more  prolific  source  of  lameness  in 
the  horse  than  contraction,  which  simply  means  a  gradual 
loosening  of  the  entire  hoof,  chiefly  in  the  heel,  and  for 
some  reason  or  other,  generally  of  the  fore  feet.  It  is  com- 
monly called  by  horsemen  "  widening  of  the  hoof,"  and 
pressing  unduly  upon  the  sensitive  laminae  of  the  hoof,  pro- 
duces that  peculiar  lameness  which  so  much  puzzles  the 
uninitiated,  being  to  them  an  invisible  cause.  Even  the 
so-called  horse-doctors  are  generally  completely  puzzled  by 
this  disease  when  looking  for  the  cause  of  lameness.  There 
is  no  possible  criterion  for  fixing  the  appearance  accurately 
of  any  peculiarity  of  lameness  consequent  upon  contrac- 
tion—sometimes the  lameness  being  very  slight,  while  at 
other  times  it  is  very  acute,  so  much  so  as  to  render  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


Ill 


horse  for  the  time  quite  useless,  being1  generally  pronounced 
foundered  by  those  who  think  they  know  whereof  they 
speak. 

Its  causes  are  numerous  and  various  ;  but,  in  my  opinion, 
which  is  founded  upon  practical  observation,  the  chief 
cause  is  in  faulty  shoeing.  Sufficient  attention  is  not  paid 
to  the  nature  of  the  hoof  to  be  shod  ;  a  thin  shell  hoof  re- 
quires a  light  shoe  ;  the  nails  should  be  small,  and  not  too 
tightly  clinched.  This  last  point  is  very  important  indeed, 
in  all  shoeing,  yet  a  horse  with  a  strong-,  thick  hoof,  ma}' 
take  a  much  heavier  shoe  and  larger  nails,  and  they  may 
be  a  little  more  tightly  clinched. 

Another  very  important  point  for  which  the  blacksmith 
is  not  answerable,  is  that  some  persons,  farmers  especially, 
allow  the  shoes  to  be  worn  just  as  long  as  they  will  stay  on, 
often  letting  a  poor  horse  do  hard  work  with  three,  two,  or 
even  one  shoe  on.  By  this  means  horses  are  quite  apt  to 
have  one  hoof  larger  than  the  other,  from  the  fact  that  the 
bare  foot,  or  feet,  wear  down,  while  the  ones  shod  retain 
all  the  hoof,  hence  the  cause  for  the  remark  so  common, 
"your  horse  has  odd  feet."  It  is  a  good  plan  to  allow 
horses  to  go  barefoot  a  few  days  occasionally  .;  by  so  doing 
the  hoof  expands,  and  so  far  is  a  preventive  of  contraction. 
Foul,  dirty  stables,  or  other  manure  heaps,  occasion  the  dis- 
ease by  the  action  of  ammonia  upon  the  horny  portion  of 
the  feet. 

Standing  constantly  upon  a  hard,  dry  floor  is  another 
source  of  this  evil  also.  Such  horses  should  have  woolen 
pads  or  cloths  of  several  thicknesses  tied  loosely  around,  just 
above  and  overhanging  the  hoof,  which  are  to  be  kept  con- 
stantly wet  with  water.  Finally,  if  the  feet  are  very  bad, 
take  off  all  the  shoes,  open  the  heels  on  each  side  of  the 
cleft  of  the  frog,  pare  until  you  can  see  the  quick,  and,  if 
grass  time,  turn  him  out  in  a  damp  pasture  ;  if  not  grass 


112 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


time,  turn  him  in  the  next  similar  and  best  place  you  can 
for  a  few  weeks,  and  you  will  be  more  likely  to  effect  a 
cure.  When  he  is  taken  up,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  sub- 
ject him  to  the  same  causes.  If  the  horse  should  be  still 
lame  after  the  paring*,  as  he  will  be,  do  not  be  afraid,  he 
will  soon  get  over  it,  and  be  all  the  more  sound  for-  the 
paring-  as  recommended. — Wm.  Horne,  V.  S.,  in  Dixie 
Farmer, 

9 

Shoeing  Contracted  Feet. 

In  shoeing  for  contraction  I  take  a  spreader,  made  of 
i-inch  round  iron,  sharpen  it  at  both  ends,  bend  the  points 
back  about  one-quarter  of  an  inch  to  a  square  band,  and 
then  bend  it  into  the  shape  of  a  clevis  with  both  points 
straight  out.  I  next  pare  the  hoof  down  well,  and  if  there 
is  any  inflammation  in  it,  I  pour  some  turpentine  on  the  bot- 
tom, set  fire  to  it  and  let  it  burn,  but  not  long  enough  to 
allow  the  hoof  to  become  dry  any  where.  I  then  extinguish 
the  fire  with  a  rag,  and  bend  the  spreader  so  as  to  fit  in  be- 
tween the  heels  of  the  hoof,  but  leaving  it  wider  than  the 
heels  by  as  much  as  I  wish  to  spread  the  hoof.  I  then  put 
one  end  of  the  spreader  on  one  heel  and  pry  the  other  end 
down  with  a  punch  or  piece  of  iron.  Next  I  nail  on  the 
shoe  and  mix  up  a  lotion  composed  of  one  ounce  of  corrosive 
sublimate,  finely  pulverized,  and  one  pint  of  turpentine.  This 
should  be  put  in  a  strong  bottle  and  applied  to  the  foot  at 
intervals  until  the  inflammation  has  disappeared.  Then  the 
shoe  should  be  removed,  and  a  piece  of  leather,  on  which  pine 
tar  has  been  spread,  should  be  placed  on  the  bottom  of  the 
hoof.  The  shoe  must  then  be  nailed  on  again  carefully, 
and  the  spreader  applied  to  it.  Next  I  take  one  part  of 
soft  soap  made  of  potash,  one  of  lard  and  one  of  turpentine; 
stir  well  together  and  use  for  softening  the  hoof  and  stimu- 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER.  113 

lating  its  growth.  This  plan  has  never  failed  with  me  yet. 
—By  C.  K.  S. 

Shoeing  Contracted  Feet. 

To  shoe  for  contracted  feet  I  pare  the  toe  down  all  I  dare, 
leaving  the  heel  as  high  as  I  can  ;  then,  in  fitting  the  shoe, 


Fig.  63— Showing  a  Shoe  made  by  a  Common  but  Faulty  Method. 

instead  of  turning  the  heel  in  as  a  good  many  smiths  do,  I 
turn  it  out  and  nail  the  shoe  on  in  the  ordinary  wajr.  But 


Fig.  64— Proper  form  of  Shoe  for  Contracted  Feet. 

when  this  is  done,  I  take  a  pair  of  tongs,  and,  placing  them 
between  the  heels,  spread  the  heels  just  a  little.    This  will 


114 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


spread  the  foot  if  it  is  repeated  each  time  the  horse  is  shod. 
The  reason  I  turn  the  heels  out  is  that  when  turned  in,  as 
in  Fig*.  63  of  the  annexed  engravings,  the  bearing  is  brought 
so  close  together  that  the  weight  pressing-  outside  of  the 
bearings  draws  the  shoe  together.  But  if  you  turn  the 
heels  out,  as  in  Fig.  64,  you  get  a  broad  bearing-  that 
will  not  drawr  together.  I  turn  the  heels  out  on  all  the 
shoes  I  put  on,  and  find  that  the  plan  always  gives  satis- 
faction.—^ C.  S.  E. 

Proper  Shoeing  for  Contracted  Feet. 

Contracted  feet  are  more  commonly  the  consequence  of 
lameness  in  horses  than  the  cause.  Any  diseased  condition 
inside  the  hoof  giving  rise  to  an  unusual  degree  of  heat 
leads  to  a  more  rapid  evaporation  from  the  surface  of  the 
horn,  to  drying  and  shrinking  of  the  hoof,  and  to  absorp- 
tion of  the  soft  parts  within.  The  shrinkage  or  narrowing 
takes  place  especially  at  the  heel,  where  the  foot  has  not  a 
long,  but  only  an  elastic,  cartilaginous  internal  support, 
which  yields  easily  to  any  pressure  from  without. 

A  second  condition,  which  always  coincides  with  this  dry- 
ing due  to  disease,  is  the  disease  of  the  heel  caused  by  the 
animal  standing  on  its  toe,  or  removing  the  weight  from 
the  entire  foot.  When  the  foot  is  planted  on  the  ground 
and  the  weight  thrown  upon  it,  the  soft  parts  descending 
within  the  hoof  tend  to  press  it  outward,  and  as  a  matter  of 
fact  the  hoof  does  actually  expand  at  the  upper  part, 
next  the  hair,  and  thus  the  natural  tendency  of  the  unused 
elastic  horn  to  contract  is  to  a  great  extent  counteracted. 
Disease  is,  therefore,  a  more  common  cause  of  contraction, 
and  in  all  cases  of  contracted  feet  it  is  wTell  first  to  look  for 
some  existing  disease,  such  as  corns,  bruises,  pricks,  and 
other  wounds,  graveling*,  thrush,  inflammation  from  uneven 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


115 


bearing  of  the  shoe,  from  the  nails  being  drawn  up  too 
tight,  from  navicular  disease,  from  ringbone  affecting  the 
second  or  third  phalanx,  and  so  on. 

Apart  from  any  disease  sufficient  to  cause  lameness,  con- 
traction of  the  feet  sometimes  goes  on  to  an  extreme  degree, 
until,  indeed,  one  heel  may  meet  the  other  ;  yet  lameness  is 
not  induced.  Yet,  if  contraction  takes  place  with  rapidity, 
as  under  the  influence  of  a  long  period  of  rainless  weather 
following  a  wet  spring,  the  compression  of  the  soft  parts  by 
the  drying  and  shrinking  horn  will  cause  inflammation  and 
lameness.  Contraction  caused  in  this  way  may  be  counter- 
acted and  corrected  by  measures  calculated  to  soften  and 
expand  the  horn,  followed  by  such  as  will  retain  its  natural 
moisture  and  give  proper  bearing  on  the  shoe.  To  soften 
the  contracted  foot,  keep  the  unshod  animal  standing  every 
day  for  sixteen  hours  in  a  stream  of  water  coming  up  to 
the  hair  around  the  top  of  the  hoof,  or  in  a  soft  muck  of 
clay  puddle,  closing  in  around  the  foot  to  the  same  level. 
In  frosty  weather  a  warm  poultice,  placed  in  a  strong  bag 
drawn  over  the  foot,  is  preferable,  the  more  so  that  it  can 
be  kept  applied  night  and  day.  At  the  end  of  a  fortnight 
the  foot  will  usually  be  found  to  have  expanded  to  its  nat- 
ural dimensions. 

If  there  is  much  lameness,  it  will  be  desirable  to  apply  a 
blister  on  the  front  and  sides  of  the  pastern  during  the 
period  of  poulticing.  This  may  be  repeated  and  the  poultic- 
ing continued,  if  lameness  remains  at  the  end  of  a  fort- 
night. As  a  blister,  the  following  may  be  rubbed  into  the 
skin  on  the  front  and  sides  of  the  pastern  :  Powdered  can- 
tharides,  one-half  drachm  ;  oil  of  lavender,  ten  drops  ;  olive 
oil  one  ounce.  It  may  be  repeated  the  second  day  if  heat 
and  tenderness  have  not  been  induced  by  the  first  applica- 
tion and  also  so  soon  as  the  effects  of  the  first  application 
have  passed  off  and  the  resulting  scabs  have  dropped  off. 


116 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


When  lameness  has  disappeared,  and  the  foot  has  been 
sufficiently  expended,  it  should  be  dressed  carefully,  going 
the  same  height  to  the  wall  at  all  corresponding  points  on 
the  inner  and  outer  sides,  and  paring  heel  and  toe  in  proper 
ratio  with  each  other,  the  sole  being  left  as  far  as  possible 
to  come  to  the  heel  with  the  hoof  wall  at  all  points,  and 
furnish  with  it  a  surface  of  bearing  for  the  shoe. 

The  shoe  should  be  perfect! 3^  loose  and  smooth,  and  when 
applied  should  press  evenly  at  all  points.  It  should  be 
drawn  only  moderately  tight,  and  on  giving  its  final  dress- 


rig.  65— Proper  Way  of  Driving  Nails. 


ing  the  use  of  the  file  should  be  as  far  as  possible  avoided. 
The  horn  is  formed  of  a  series  of  pus  tubes  with  an  inter- 
tubular  cellular  structure,  and  when  the  rasp  or  file  is  used 
so  as  to  expose  the  open  ends  of  these  tubules  the  contained 
moisture  exhales,  the  horn  withers,  and  the  soft  parts  may 
be  injuriously  pressed  upon.  For  this  reason  the  use  of 
the  file  on  the  front  of  the  hoof  is  to  be  severely  deprecated. 
It  should  onty  be  used  on  the  lower  edge  of  the  hoof  wall, 
where  it  projects  over  the  shoe,  and  when  the  sharp  edges 
might  otherwise  split  up.    For  a  similar  reason  the  sole 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


lit 


should  never  be  pared  down  into  the  tough,  elastic  horn, 
though  all  scaly  masses  on  the  surface  may  be  safely  re- 
moved. After  shaving,  the  use  of  hoof  ointment  will  serve 
to  prevent  evaporation  and  drying,  and  is  absolutely  need- 
ful after  the  foot  has  been  softened  by  poulticing.  A  mix- 
ture of  equal  parts  of  wood  tar -and  sweet  oil  will  answer 
admirably.  This  brushed  daily  over  the  entire  surface  of 
the  horn — wall,  sole  and  frog — will  usually  preserve  a  suf- 


Fig.  66 — A  Faulty  Method  of  Driving  Nails. 

ficiency  of  moisture  and  the  natural  elasticity  and  tough- 
ness of  the  horn. — Prof.  Law  in  Farmer's  Gazette. 

Shoeing  Contracted  Feet. 

My  method  of  shoeing  for  contracted  feet,  is  as  follows  : 
I  make  a  shoe  to  fit  the  foot  nicely  all  around  and  trim  the 
foot  as  much  as  it  will  bear,  taking  care  to  keep  it  as  level 
as  possible  and  not  to  disturb  the  frog  or  interfere  with  the 
bridge.  I  then  put  the  shoe  on  the  foot  and  drive  in  all  the 
nails,  bending  them  up  against  the  foot  instead  of  breaking 


118 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


them  off  or  bending*  them  down  as  some  men  do.  After 
these  nails  are  all  driven  I  draw  them  out  again,  spread  the 
shoe  all  around  one-eighth  of  an  inch  and  drive  the  nails 
back  in  the  same  holes.  This  gently  draws  the  hoof  apart 
and  eases  the  pressure  on  the  pedal  bones.  The  nails  being 
driven  inward  tend  to  spread  the  foot.  Every  time  the 
horse  steps  on  a  shoe  made  on  my  plan,  and  shown  in  Fig. 
65  of  the  engravings  annexed,  the  foot  will  be  drawn  apart, 
but  a  shoe  made  and  put  on  in  the  manner  illustrated  in 
Fig.  66  will  draw  the  foot  together.  In  following  my  method 
it  is  necessary  to  remove  the  shoe  from  the  horse  every  ten 
or  fourteen  days  and  let  him  stand  on  a  dampened  dirt  floor. 
Under  this  treatment  he  will  soon  be  cured. — By  R.  J.  G. 

Contracted  Feet,  Corns,  and  Chest  Founder. 

Relative  to  shoeing  chest-foundered  horses,  and  in  regard 
to  contracted  feet  and  corns,  I  will  say  that  the  three,  al- 
though called  by  different  names, belong  to  the  same  family, 
and  all  are  in  the  foot,  chest  founder  not  excepted.  And  I 
still  insist  upon  it  as  logical.  Now,  who  will  undertake  to  say 
that  a  horse's  breast  has  become  shrunken  from  its  natural 
make  up,  in  any  respect,  except  from  the  loss  of  flesh,  or  by 
being  poor  ;  the  bone  or  brisket  is  all  there  ;  none  of  it  has 
been  taken  out ;  just  set  the  feet  back  under  the  horse,  and 
he  will  have  just  as  full  a  breast  as  he  ever  had,  excepting 
he  may  be  poorer  in  flesh.  Now,  what  is  the  fact  about  a 
contracted  foot  or  any  other  foot  ?  As  a  rule,  the  frog  is 
not  only  the  cushion  on  which  the  horse  stands,  but  is  the 
width  of  heel,  also.  Now,  if  the  frog  is  small,  unnaturally 
hard  or  diseased  from  any  cause,  usually  you  will  And  the 
shell  of  heel  and  bars  narrowing  in,  and,  it  is  said,  true 
enough,  that  the  foot  is  contracted ;  the  angle  of  the  heel 
hooks  into  the  frog,  and  needs  separating  ;  the  shell  of  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


119 


foot  sets  on  to  the  wing-  of  the  paddle  bone,  and  we  get 
corns  here,  and  the  result  is,  in  either  case,  a  sore  foot,  like 
the  result  of  a  tight,  stiff  boot  full  of  wrinkles,  pegs  and 
nails,  and  the  feet  are  set  out  in  front  to  rest  and  ease 
the  pressure  of  weight,  the  shoulders  set  forward,  and  the 
breast  looks  as  if  it  had  been  driven  in,  and  is  improperly 
called  chest  founder. 

Now,  to  pull  the  heel  open  is  to  pull  the  bars  away  from 
the  frog* ;  if  it  is  spread  enough  to  do  any  good,  it  hurts, 
whether  done  with  nailing  tongs,  screws  or  a  stump  puller; 
and  what  fills  this  cavity  made  by  pulling  the  heel  open, 
except  the  frog,  and  of  course  you  must  wait  for  the 
frog  to  grow  to  accomplish  it,  and  the  horse  must  endure 
this  torture  to  accommodate  faulty  practices.  Now  just 
let  the  horse  have  a  ground  bearing  on  the  frog,  and 
keep  the  frog  and  hoof  soft  and  cool  with  water,  so  that 
it  won't  hurt  the  horse  to  stand  on  the  frog,  so  that  it 
may  have  its  natural  growth,  and  you  will  notice  that 
the  frog  will  enlarge  and  resume  its  healthy  and  thriving" 
condition,  and  crowd  or  pull  the  heel  open  to  better  advan- 
tage than  anj7  artificial  theory  for  making  horses' feet. — By 
S.  Stone. 

Against  Spreading  for  Contraction. 

Many  writers  advise  the  spreading  of  the  foot  at  the  time 
of  shoeing. 

This  is  a  very  old  custom,  but  I  have  discarded  it  for 
nine  years  past,  except  in  extreme  cases.  A  foot  can  be 
spread  very  quickly  by  putting  on  a  shoe  and  then  opening- 
it  at  the  heels  with  the  tongs,  but  this  process  g-enerally 
gives  pain  to  the  horse,  and  this  pain  is  constant  night  and 
day,  for  the  animal  cannot  take  off  his  shoes  at  night  as  a 
man  can,  when  a  pair  of  boots  hurt  his  feet. 


120 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSKSHOER. 


My  method  will  not  spread  a  loot  as  quickly  as  the  old 
plan,  but  it  is  more  effective  in  the  end  and  does  not  entail 
the  possibility  of  a  permanent  injury  to  the  horse.  It  is  as 
follows  : 

A  shoe  is  made  in  summer  without  calks  ;  in  winter  with 
very  low  ones,  just  sufficient  to  prevent  slipping-.  The 
heel  is  cut  down  quiet  low  so  as  to  get  all  the  frog*  press- 
ure, and  the  foot  is  concaved  a  little  at  the  heel,  or  from  the 
heel  nails  back.  The  shoe  should  have  the  nail  holes  well 
toward  the  toe,  and  must  fit  the  foot  perfectly  as  far  around 
as  the  heel  nails,  but  from  this  point  to  the  heels  should 
project  outside  the  shell.  At  the  heels  the  shoe  must  be  at 
each  side  from  three-eig-hths  to  half  an  inch  wider  than  the 
foot  and  convex  from  the  heels  as  far  forward  as  the  last 
nails.    In  bad  cases  I  do  not  drive  more  than  six  nails. 

The  shoe  should  be  removed  quite  often,  and  must  not  be 
too  convex  or  the  foot  will  be  spread  too  fast. 

In  this  way  of  shoeing*,  when  the  horse  is  standing*  the 
feet  will  spread,  and  a  circulation  will  be  created  inside  the 
hoof,  which  will  lead  to  the  filling*  up  of  the  cavity  in  the 
natural  way,  or  in  other  words,  to  a  permanent  cure. 

I  have  followed  this  plan  for  nine  years  and  it  never 
failed.    Flat  feet  do  not  easily  contract. — By  H.  V.  D. 

Shoeing  Contracted  Feet 

It  is  a  fact  known  to  all  shoers  who  have  made  the 
anatomy  of  the  horse's  foot  a  stud  v-,  that  you  cannot  use  a 
bar  shoe  in  all  cases  of  contraction.  To  illustrate  :  Let  us 
take  two  different  cases.  First,  we  will  take  a  foot  that  has 
a  normal  toe  and  outside  quarter  and  heel,  but  the  inside 
quarter  and  heel  are  contracted.  Now,  how  can  we  use,  in 
such  a  case,  a  bar  shoe  with  a  frog*  pressure  ?  I  will  give 
you  my  way  of  treating-  such  a  patient.    First  put  the  foot 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER.  121 

in  an  oil-meal  poultice  so  that  the  poultice  will  come  on  the 
inside  more  than  on  an}r  other  part  of  the  foot,  for  from 
twelve  to  thirty-six  hours.  After  the  foot  has  become  soft 
use  a  shoe  like  that  shown  in  Fig-.  67.  Fit  the  shoe  to  the 
foot.    After  the  shoe  is  nailed  on  take  a  spreader  (I  use  a 


Fig.  67— The  Shoe  used  when  the  inside  Quarter  and  Heel  are  contracted. 

spreader  in  many  cases  of  quarter  crack  and  contraction), 
insert  the  spreader  at  the  heels  of  the  shoe  and  thus  throw 
out  the  inside  web  of  the  shoe,  for  you  will  see  that  the 
shoe  is  weakened  at  the  inside  toe  and  will  not  give  at  any 
other  point.    It  is  unsafe  to  spread  more  than  a  little  at  a 


m 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


time.  I  have  shod  a  great  number  of  feet  in  this  condition 
and  always  with  the  best  results,  while  a  bar  shoe  could  not 
have  been  used  to  advantage. 

Now  let  us  take  another  foot  with  both  heels  contracted. 
To  look  at  it  hastity  it  would  suggest  a  bar  shoe  at  once, 


Fig.  68— Shoe  used  when  both  Heels  are  contracted. 


but  on  more  careful  examination  we  find  the  foot  hard  and 
the  frog  as  hard  as  a  chip  and  almost  crowded  out  of 
existence.  Now  let  us  see  if  a  bar  shoe  would  be  the  best 
for  this  foot.  We  think  not,  for,  if  we  apply  the  bar  shoe 
and  get  a  direct  frog  pressure,  the  pressure  on  the  internal 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


123 


or  sensitive  frog*,  will  in  most  cases  be  too  severe  and  cause 
more  inflammation  than  existed  before,  and  we  will  have 
aggravated  the  trouble  instead  of  curing-  it.  In  this  case 
my  treatment  would  be  similar  to  the  first  case  in  many 
respects. 

I  first  level  the  foot,  but  lower  the  toe  as  much  as  I  can 
with  safety.  Then  I  take  a  small  saw  and  saw  the  foot 
open  at  both  heels  till  I  get  through  and  start  the  blood,  I 
then  put  on  the  shoe  shown  in  Fig".  68,  and  spread  as 
before. 

Shoeing  in  this  way,  as  your  patients  are  driven  up  to 
your  shop,  you  can  take  your  compasses  and  spreader,  slip 
out  and  expand  the  foot  by  spreading  the  shoe  without  re- 
moving it  from  the  foot. — By  H.  M.  S. 

Contracted  and  Hoof-bound  Feet. 

Contraction  of  the  feet  is  a  disease  more  frequent  among 
horses  than  &x\y  other  to  which  they  are  subject,  and  it  af- 
fects road  and  draught  horses  alike.  It  results  from  the 
hoof  losing  its  moisture  and  thus  becoming  hard  and  fever- 
ish. Horses  raised  on  farms  alwa37s  suffer  from  this  disease. 
The  causes  are  hard,  dry  floors  and  a  lack  of  frog  pressure. 
Its  distinguishing  features  are  a  long,  narrow  foot,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  69  of  the  accompanying  engravings,  and  a 
large,  high  coronet  as  seen  in  Fig  70. 

If  contracted  at  the  quarters  there  is  a  strong  wall  at 
the  heel  and  toe,  as  illustrated  in  Fig.  69,  but  if  contracted 
at  the  heels  the  wall  is  strong  everywhere  excepting  at  the 
heels. 

The  best  remedy  is  the  bar  shoe,  with  nail  holes  around 
the  toe.  The  wall  should  be  raised,  especially  at  the  heels, 
until  a  frog  pressure  is  obtained.  The  sole  should  be  pared 
but  slightly,  because  ^  thick  sole  acts  as  a  br^e  and  pre- 


124: 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


vents  the  foot  from  shrinking-.    The  shoe  must  bear  on  the 
frog*  and  the  feet  should  be  soaked  in  water  every  night. 
There  are  other  methods  of  shoeing*  that  might  be  adopt- 


Fig.  69— Showing  a  Foot  Contracted  at  the  Quarters  as  described  by  "  F.  G." 

ed  in  cases  where  there  is  no  lameness.  For  instance  : 
The  foot  can  be  pared  as  in  the  first  method  and  then  shod 
with  plain  shoes  drawn  down,  at  the  heel  or  with  a  tip 


Fig.  70— Showing  the  prominence  of  the  Coronet  in  a  Contracted  Foot. 

around  the  toe.  This  tip  requires  about  six  nails,  and  al- 
lows the  tip  to  bear  on  the  ground.  The  horse  should 
stand  on  a  dirt  floor  and  wet  cloths  must  be  wrapped  around 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


125 


the  foot  every  night  for  at  least  a  month.  The  shoeing 
should  he  repeated  every  fourth  week.  It  will  be  observed 
that  in  the  center  of  the  frog  is  a  point  called  the  V,  which 
in  a  contracted  foot  is  very  hard  and  sharp.  Now  when  the 
frog  is  pressed  on  the  ground  this  V  penetrates  the  foot 
and  forces  it  open  just  as  a  wedge  would.  The  country 
horse  has  broad,  flat  heels  and  hardly  any  V  to  enter  the 
frog.  In  some  cases  the  horse  may  be  lame  for  some  time 
after  shoeing,  but  b}^  keeping  the  feet  moist  a  cure  will  be 
affected. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  wall  is  the  weakest  near- 


est the  heel,  and  at  the  frog  nearest  the  coronet.  Contract- 
ed feet  have,  of  course,  hard,  long  and  narrow  frogs, 
which  are  generally  affected  with  a  disease  called  thrush 
or  frog-rot.  This  is,  however,  easily  cured  by  applyiug 
salt  and  turpentine  every  two  or  three  days  or  a  week  or 
so — unless  it  breaks  out  above  the  hair,  and  then  it  is  a  case 
for  the  veterinary  surgeon. 

Hoof-bound  feet  are  distinguished  by  a  ridge  running 
completely  around  the  hoof,  as  shown  in  Fig.  71.  The  dis- 
ease resembles  contraction ?  except  that  the  coronet  is  not 


Fig.  71— Showing  a  Hoof -Bound  Foot. 


126 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


enlarged.  It  is  first  perceived  at  the  hair  and  grows  down- 
ward, being-  at  its  worst  when  about  one-third  of  the  way 
down.  It  is  found  only  on  front  feet  and  generally  only  on 
those  of  horses  raised  on  hard  soils.  It  completely  cripples 
the  horse,  making-  him  unfit  for  any  use  for  at  least  a 
month,  or  until  the  wall  of  the  foot  becomes  soft  and  pli- 
able. 

In  shoeing  in  such  cases  the  sole  should  be  pared  until  it 
responds  to  the  pressure  of  the  thumb,  and  the  outside  of 
the  wall  must  be  rasped  away  considerably.  But,  of  course, 


Fig.  73— Showing  a  Foot  shod  with  Tip,  and  with  the  Frog  bearing  on  the  ground. 

judgment  must  be  employed  according  to  the  circumstances 
attending  each  case.  Put  on  a  plain  bar  shoe  that  bears 
equally  on  the  frog,  toe,  heel  and  quarters — in  other  words 
a  perfect  level  bearing.  The  rest  depends  on  the  hostler. 
The  feet  should  be  soaked  every  evening  in  blood- warm  wrater 
for  about  twenty  minutes,  and  then  wrapped  in  wet  cloths 
for  the  night.  The  animal  must  stand  only  on  a  clay  floor. 
It  is  necessary  for  the  ridge  to  grow  out  as  the  foot  grows 
downward,  and  for  this  six  to  eight  months  are  required, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


127 


I  have  seen  cases  of  this  disease  in  horses  fresh  from  the 
country  and  in  animals  which  have  never  been  shod  .  The 
treatment  that  I  have  advised  will  insure  a  noticeable  im- 
provement in  from  four  to  six  weeks.  Fig.  72  represents  a 
foot  shod  with  a  tip,  and  with  quarter,  heel  and  frog-  bear- 
ing on  the  ground. — By  F.  Gk 


Favors  Spreading  for  Contraction. 

My  method  of  treating  tender  or  contracted  feet  is  as 
follows  :  As  soon  as  the  frost  is  out  of  the  ground  re- 
move the  winter  shoe  and  pare  the  foot  all  it  will  bear,  espe- 
cially at  the  heel.  Scrape  and  cut  the  horn  from  the 
sole  around  the  frog,  and  press  on  the  sole  with  the  thumb 
until  it  gives  under  the  pressure.  The  braces  must  never  be 
cut  very  much,  and  the  frog  should  not  be  cut  at  all.  A 
flat  shoe  with  a  very  low  toe  calk  and  no  heel  calks  is 
then  put  on  and  the  insides  of  the  heels  are  clipped 
nearly  to  a  point.  Make  the  shoe  to  cover  the  foot  well, 
never  use  a  short  shoe  and  have  the  nail  holes  slant 
inwards. 

Don't  hew  the  foot  down  to  fit  the  shoe,  but  always 
make  the  shoe  to  suit  the  foot.  At  the  heel  the  shoe  should 
be  |  of  an  inch  wider  than  the  foot.  From  the  point  of  the 
frog  to  the  heel  (inside)  the  shoe  should  have  an  advantage 
of  ^  of  an  inch  in  height.  To  measure  this  correctly 
apply  a  straightedge  or  square  to  the  bottom  of  the 
shoe.  Then,  with  the  aid  of  a  pair  of  tongs  and  a  helper, 
spread  the  foot  out  to  the  full  width  of  the  shoe  at  the 
heel  and  keep  it  there  until  the  nails  are  in  at  the  heel. 
Use  small  nails  and  do  not  draw  too  tight.  The  object 
is  to  bring  the  frog  on  the  ground.  With  superflu- 
ous horn,  etc.,  all  removed  and  a  shoe  fitted  concave, 


128 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


as  I  have  described,  the  frog*  will  flatten  and  the  foot  ex- 
pand rapidly. 

For  draft  horses  use  a  very  low  heel  calk,  and  wThen 
the  ground  is  frozen  use  the  common  shoe  with  clips. 
Do  not  employ  a  rasp  to  file  under  clinches,  because  this 
cuts  across  the  grain  of  the  hoof  and  injures  it.  I  use  a 
very  small  gouge,  the  width  of  a  nail,  and  take  out 
a  little  under  the  nail.  This  will  give  a  good  clinch  every 
time.  For  light  driving  horses  the  nails  should  be  driven 
hard  and  well  clinched  and  clipped  close  with  the  clinch- 
cutter,  then  filed  down  and  smoothed. — By  S.  C.  C. 

Contracted  Feet. 

I  will  give  my  mode  of  spreading  a  contracted  foot.  The 
tool  I  use  for  the  purpose  is  illustrated  in  the  engraving 
Fig.  73.  It  is  about  8  inches  long,  the  jaws  are  or  |  inch 
thick,  and  the  screw  is  about  3^  inches  long.  It  is  put  on 
the  foot  with  the  short  side  hooks  (which  are  about  \  inch 


Fig.  73— Tool  used  for  Spreading  Contracted  Feet. 

long)  in  the  heel.  You  can  spread  the  heel  just  as  much 
as  it  will  bear.  Fit  the  shoe  considerably  wider  than  the 
foot  was  before  the  heel  was  spread,  level  the  shoe  from 
the  last  nail  hole  out  so  that  it  wall  tend  to  give  outward 
instead  of  inward  as  the  weight  comes  on  it.  A  little 
practice  will  teach  the  smith  how  much  the  foot  will  stand, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


129 


and  how  large  the  shoe  should  be,  then  lay  the  spreader 
flat  on  the  foot,  with  the  side  hooks  in  the  heel,  and  turn 
the  screw.  The  larger  the  thread  is  on  the  screw  the 
easier  it  will  he  to  spread  the  foot.  A  good  smith  can  tell 
whether  the  heel  or  toe  is  too  long  by  looking  at  the  foot. — 
By  B.  B. 

Shoe  for  Contracted  Feet. 

Contraction  is  caused  by  the  feet  becoming  hard  from  neg- 
lect in  not  being  taken  care  of.  The  shoer  drives  the  shoe 
on  without  properly  preparing  the  foot.  The  quarters 
turn  in  and  draw  together  at  the  heel,  and  the  horse,  as  a 
consequence,  becomes  lame  and  cannot  travel.  What  is  the 
remedy  for  this  defect  ?    Some  farriers  claim  that  the  horse 


Fig.  74— Shoe  for  Contracted  Feet. 


should  be  turned  out  in  marshy  ground  until  the  hoof  be- 
comes softened,  when  the  difficulty  will  disappear.  This 
plan  is  generally  impracticable,  as  the  owner  of  the  horse 
wants  to  use  him. 

Others  say  the  shoe  should  be  made  wide  and  nailed  on 
while  the  hoof  is  spread  with  a  pair  of  tongs.  Still  others 
use  wide  shoes  and  pretend  to  believe  that  contractions  can 


130 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


be  cured  by  them.  Many  other  methods  have  come  under 
my  observation,  and  none  of  them  are  of  much  if  any 
value. 

My  plan  is  to  make  a  shoe  expressly  for  contracted  feet 
and  the  sketch,  Fig*.  74,  will  illustrate  my  idea.  The  dotted 
line,  A,  represents  a  joint  made  by  simply  cutting-  a  com- 
mon shoe  through  the  center  of  the  toe  with  a  half  round 
chisel.  Holes,  as  shown,  are  then  punched  in  each  part  of 
the  severed  shoe  near  the  proposed  joint,  and  countersunk 
on  the  inner  surface.  The  toe  calk,  B,  is  then  made,  holes 
being  punched  in  it  and  countersunk  to  correspond  with  the 
holes  in  the  shoe.  The  parts  are  then  riveted  together  as 
shown  in  the  cut.  The  concavity  of  one  part  of  the  shoe 
fitting  the  convexity  of  the  other,  a  perfect  hinge  is  formed 
which  can  play  beneath  the  toe  plate  or  calk  B.  Care 
should  be  taken  not  to  have  the  two  surfaces  fit  too  tightly. 
They  must  be  loose  enough  to  move  easily  upon  each  other. 
Then  the  heels  of  the  shoe  are  turned  up,  not  too  high,  but 
so  as  to  bring  them  on  a  level  with  the  toe  and  drawn  out- 
ward so  as  to  stand  well  apart.  They  should  round  out- 
ward, so  that  when  the  horse's  weight  comes  upon  them 
they  will  spring  slightly  apart.  Small  clips  should  be 
turned  up  on  the  inner  edge  of  the  shoe  just  in  front  of  the 
heels,  as  shown  at  D,  D,  to  catch  inside  of  the  quarter  and 
hold  the  foot  apart  while  it  is  being*  spread  by  the  animal's 
weight  upon  the  shoe.  If  the  shoe  is  made  as  described 
you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  spreading-  the  foot  and  curing* 
the  worst  case  of  contraction. — By  A.  S. 

Contracted  Feet— Against  Hot  Fitting. 

Permit  me  to  say  a  few  words  in  regard  to  shoeing*  con- 
tracted feet.  It  is  cruel  for  a  man  to  nail  iron  to  the  foot  of 
a  horse  and  then  spread  it  with  tongs  or  anything*  else.  A 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


131 


good  shoer  can  spread  the  hoof  enough  by  driving  the  nails, 
by  leaving  the  shoes  full  wide  and  setting  the  nail  close 
against  the  inside  of  the  nail-hole  of  the  shoe  each  time  he 
puts  one  on.  The  best  way  to  use  a  contracted  foot  is  not 
to  shoe  it  at  all.  No  man  ever  saw  a  contracted  foot  on  a 
horse  that  was  never  shod,  nor  ever  will  he. 

The  frog  of  the  foot  of  the  horse  should  never  have  a 
knife  or  anything  touch  it  in  shoeing,  nor  should  a  shoe 
that  takes  the  frog  off  of  the  ground  ever  be  nailed  on  a  foot. 
The  frog  is  the  life  of  the  foot,  and  it  is  the  wedge  that  holds 
the  heels  apart  and  causes  the  hoof  to  expand. 

The  injudicious  method  of  paring  away  the  frog  and  sole 
prevents  the  bars'from  touching  the  ground.  The  sensible 
plan  is,  first,  to  let  the  frog  and  sole  acquire  their  natural 
thickness.  Second,  lead  the  horse  to  a  gravel  meadow, 
stuff  the  hollow  of  the  foot  with  cow-dung  or  tar  ointment, 
and  leave  him  in  the  meadow,  renewing  the  dung  or  oint- 
ment every  day. 

Applications  of  oils  and  brutal  spreading  of  the  feet  with 
tongs  never  cured  a  contracted  foot. 

1  will  .also  say  that  a  smith  who  is  unable  to  fit  a  shoe  to 
a  foot  without  burning  it  level  should  be  driven  out  of  the 
trade.  Burning  a  foot  makes  the  hoof  so  hard  that  a  knife 
cannot  cut  it  when  it  gets  cold,  and  the  foot  must  necessa- 
rily be  ruined  sooner  or  later.— By  M.  T. 


Contracted  Feet. 

My  plan  for  treating  a  hoof -bound  foot  is  to  first  pare  the 
toe  close  but  leave  all  I  can  across  the  quarters,  and  then 
fit  the  shoe  nicely  and  put  it  on,  driving  the  nails  in  the  best 
part  of  the  foot.  Six  nails  will  do.  I  then  take  the  rasp 
and  file  off  the  front  of  the  foot  round  but  flat  for  a  space  of 


132  THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOED. 


3  to  3|  inches  wide,  and  extending*  about  two-thirds  of  the 
way  up  the  foot.  The  center  of  this  space  should  be  filed 
the  most.  The  object  of  this  is  to  take  away  the  strength 
from  the  front  of  the  foot,  for  it  is  the  pressure  coming- 
from  the  front  which  cramps  or  contracts  the  heel. — 
By  J.  H. 

Quarter  Cracks  and  Contracted  Feet. 

On  the  subject  of  quarter  cracks  and  contracted  feet,  I 
will  say  that  I  use  Prof.  Manner's  expansive  shoe  or  a  com- 
mon, thin-heeled  shoe  or  tip,  which  allows  the  heel  and  frog 
to  come  in  contact  with  the  ground.  Either  of  these  shoes 
will  cure  a  quarter  crack  where  a  bar  shoe  fails  to  do  so, 
and  they  are  also  the  best  shoes  for  contracted  feet.  I 


A 


Fig.  75— Showing  the  Shoe  used  by  "  Vulcan  "  for  Contracted  Feet. 

would  also  advise,  at  the  same  time,  the  application  of  a 
mild  blister  around  the  coronet,  not  to  draw  a  blister  but 
simply  to  stimulate  and  cause  growth.  Use  also  veterinary 
vaseline  or  any  other  hoof  ointment. .  Pare  the  foot  as  you. 
would  any  common  foot.  If  Magner's  shoe  is  used  the 
spreader  should  be  employed  three  times  a  week  and  each 
time  the  shoe  should  be  spread  about  ~f\  of  an  inch.  The 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


133 


shoe  and  spreaders  are  shown  in  the  illustration  herewith. 
Fig*  75  represents  the  shoe,  Fig*.  76  the  spreaders,  and  Fig*. 
77  shows  the  spreader  C  and  B  applied  to  the  shoe  A. 

To  make  the  shoe,  select  and  ordinary  hand-made  shoe, 
then  take  a  piece  of  Norway  iron  fXf ,  chamfer  the  end, 
then  weld  on  the  inside  edge  of  the  shoe,  cut  it  off  and 
chamfer  to  an  edge.  It  should  project  below  the  bearing- 
surface  of  the  shoe  from  f  to  f  of  an  inch.    Then  drill  a  f 


Fig.  76— ShowiDg  the  Spreaders. 


hole  in  each  side  between  the  second  and  third  nail  holes 
and  file  into  them  to  weaken  the  shoe  so  that  it  will  spread 
easily.  When  fitted,  the  spurs  on  the  wheels  should  fit  into 
the  commissures  between  the  frog-  and  bars.  After  the 
shoe  is  fitted,  if  the  ends  of  the  spurs  press  on  the  sole,  file 
them  off  a  little. 

For  a  quarter  crack  there  need  be  but  one  spur  and  one 
hole  drilled.   They  must  be  on  the  same  side  as  the  quarter 


134 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


crack  and  that  is  generally  the  inside.  My  theory  is  that 
quarter  crack  is  caused  by  the  shell  growing-  too  small  for 


Fig.  77-  Showing  the  Spreader  applied  to  the  Shoe. 

the  bones  within  it.  When  you  remove  the  pressure  you 
cure  the  quarter  crack. — By  Vulcan. 

Contracted  Feet  and  Quarter  Crack. 

Almost  every  horseshoer  has  his  own  ideas  with  regard 
to  doing  certain  kinds  of  work,  and  very  often  different 
shoers  will  accomplish  the  same  end  by  very  dissimilar 
means.    For  instance,  in  cutting  down  a  hoof  some  cut  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HOR&ESHOER. 


135 


toe  well  down  and  take  nothing*  from  the  heel,  while  others 
cut  down  both.  For  contracted  feet  some  shoers  use  a  shoe 
very  wide  at  the  heel,  reasoning-  that  the  hoof  will  follow 
the  shoe,  while  others  believe  that  such  a  shoe  has  a  tend- 
ency to  contract  the  feet. 

I  think  there  are  general  principles  that  ought  to  govern 
all  shoers.  I  do  not  claim  to  have  gone  to  the  bottom  of 
the  matter,  but  I  can  give  a  few  points  that  will  at  least  be 
useful  to  beginners.  In  treating  a  case  of  contracted  foot, 
I  first  remove  the  old  shoe  by  carefully  cutting  all  the 
clinches,  and  if  possible  remove  each  nail  separately.  I 


Fig.  78— Bottom  View  of  a  Horse's  Foot.   Showing  the  Seat  of  Corns. 

then  pare  the  hoof  down  to  as  near  the  natural  form  as 
possible.  A  hoof  is  never  pared  enough  if  any  dead  matter 
is  left  inside. 

One  of  the  most  important  points  in  shoeing  is  to  never 
allow  a  shoe  to  remain  on  the  foot  too  long.  While  a  shoe 
is  on,  the  foot  is  prevented  from  wearing,  the  waste  matter 
remains  and  in  time  will  spoil  the  foot  by  rotting  some  of 
the  essential  parts,  frog,  braces,  etc.,  and  corns  will  be 
caused  by  the  direct  pressure  from  the  bottom  or  by 
the  side  pressure  from  the  spoiling'  of  the  braces  or  bars. 


136 


The  practical  horseshoed. 


Be  sure  that  you  never  cut  the  braces  lower  than  the  outer 
horn,  and  always  make  the  seat  of  a  corn  lower  than  either. 

If  the  heel  is  contracted,  and  you  have  left  the  braces 
full,  then  make  the  shoe  somewhat  convex  at  the  heel 
and  let  it  curve  directly  under  the  heel  of  the  foot 
— not  outside,  for  that  has  a  tendency  to  push  the 
heel  in.  Leave  it  so  that  when  it  is  nailed  on,  the 
hoof  and  shoe  do  not  meet  at  the  heel.  There  must  be  a 
space  of  one-eighth  to  three-sixteenths  of  an  inch  left 
there.  Be  careful  not  to  burn  the  hoof,  for  that  is  very 
injurious,  and  be  sure  to  make,  the  shoe  fit  the  horn  of 
the  hoof  nicely.  The  outside  hard  part  I  call  horn  is  what 
nature  intended  the  horse  to  travel  on,  with  perhaps  some 
assistance  from  the  frog*.  The  shoe  should  bear  evenly, 
and  the  nails  used  should  not  be  too  large. 

The  cure  for  interfering  is  to  make  the  inside  of  the  shoe~ 
the  highest.  For  extreme  cases,  behind,  I  make  the  in- 
side of  my  shoe  nearly  straight  and  very  short;  the  toe  calk 
is  about  one-third  the  distance  around  the  shoe  from  the 
inside  heel,  the  outside  of  the  shoe  follows  the  horn  well 
round,  and  the  toe  calk  is  very  short.  Where  there  is  only 
a  slight  tendency  to  interfere,  it  will  only  be  necessary  to 
keep  the  toe  a  little  around  toward  the  inside,  and  perhaps 
a  little  the  highest  on  the  inside  ;  it  is  not  a  good  plan  to 
turn  the  inside  heel  in  too  much,  for  horses  do  not  strike 
with  it.  Shoe  in  the  same  way  for  fore  feet  except  in 
making  the  inside  web  much  heavier  than  the  outside.  I 
see  most  shoers  take  particular  pains  to  make  the  outside 
of  the  hoof  look  very  smooth  and  nice  regardless  of  the 
harm  so  done.  They  rasp  off  nature's  covering  well  up  to 
the  hair,  wThich  is  a  great  injury  to  the  hoof. 

Some  have  called  the  outside  the  skin  of  the  hoof,  which 
I  think  is  very  proper.  I  advise  being  very  careful  not  to 
disturb  the  outside  more  than  is  strictly  necessary. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


13? 


I  generally  put  on  over  the  crack  a  thin  plate  of  iron 
held  to  place  with  about  six  screws,  which  enter  the  horn 
about  one-fourth  of  an  inch.  I  weld  on  a  calk  in  front  of 
the  crack,  do  not  let  the  shoe  bear  back  of  it,  and  generally 
cover  over  with  tar  to  keep  out  the  dirt.  A  crack  extending 
up  the  toe  of  the  hoof  clear  through  the  horn  and  up  to  the 
hair  is  rather  a  serious  matter,  and  requires  careful  treat- 
ment by  a  man  who  understands  his  business. 

Let  me  saj^  again,  do  not  cut  away  the  frog.  It  is  a 
cushion  formed  to  give  the  horse  ease  on  hard  roads, 
and  perhaps  it  also  supplies  the  hoof  with  moisture. 
In  the  engraving  annexed,  Fig.  78,  may  be  seen  the 
various  parts  of  the  foot  to  which  I  have  alluded  :  1 
is  the  horn ;  2,  the  frog ;  3,  the  seat  of  corns,  and  4  4  are 
the  braces. 

C  o  nt  ract  i  o  n —  I  nte  rf  e  ri  ng. 

I  will  give  you  in  brief  my  experience  in  shoeing  con- 
tracted feet.  I  shall  not  lay  dowm  any  particular  theory 
by  which  to  shoe  all  horses,  for  I  do  not  believe  that  all 
horses  can  be  shod  alike  with  good  success.  Flat  feet  do 
not  generally  contract,  but  the  reverse. 

Now,  with  regard  to  shoeing,  the  smith  must  use  good 
judgment  in  preparing  the  foot  to  be  shod.  Some  feet 
naturally  want  more  paring  than  others.  My  method  is 
to  fit  the  feet  as  nearly  natural  as  possible.  Make  the 
shoe  level  nearly  two-thirds  the  way  round,  and  convex 
the  heels,  commencing  at  or  near  the  back  nail  hole  of 
the  common  shoe,  but  do  not  punch  the  nail  holes  so  far 
back  as  the  common  shoe,  and  onhy  drive  six  nails  in  a 
shoe.  The  shoes  should  be  removed  once  in  three  or  four 
weeks,  according  as  the  hoof  spreads.  Do  not  convex  the 
shoe  too  much  or  you  may  cause  quarter  cracks.  Let  the 
shoe  bear  all  around  on  the  shell,  but  lightty  on  the  heels, 


138 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


and  fit  the  shoe  quite  wide  for  a  foundation  to  spread 
upon.  I  have  practised  this  way  for  the  last  eight  or  ten 
years,  and  have  never  known  a  case  to  fail  if  the  owTners 
followed  my  instructions  in  taking-  care  of  the  horses. — 
By  H.  V.  Dudley. 

Contracted  Feet — Poulticing. 

In  my  practice  as  horseshoer  I  have  found  that  in  many 
cases,  if  not  a  majority,  contraction  is  t  he  cause  of  stumbling-, 
overreaching,  interfering,  etc.  We  can  shoe  and  help 
matters,  but  if  we  will  at  the  same  time  soften  and  expand 
the  foot  we  can  effect  a  permanent  cure,  for  when  the  foot 
is  contracted,  no  treatment  will  cure  the  muscles  that 
move  the  leg,  because  contraction  of  the  foot  is  nearly 
always  accompanied  by  wasting  of  the  muscles  of  the  breast, 
arm  and  shoulder,  thereby  bringing  about  an  unnatural 
action. 

Stand  in  front  of  the  horse,  and  notice  the  quarters  of  the 
hoof ;  if  they  incline  downward  and.  inward,  the  hoof  is  con- 
tracted. The  natural  warmth  of  the  hoof  is  the  same  as  the 
air,  and  if  the  foot  is  warmer,  it  is  not  healthy.  If  the 
horse  is  lame,  you  will  find  the  foot  hard  ;  pull  off  the  shoe 
and  let  the  owner  soak  the  animal's  feet  in  flaxseed  meal, 
made  with  boiling  water  like  mush.  Put  in  this  poultice  a 
little  sal  soda  and  let  the  feet  remain  poulticed  twenty-four 
hours.  If  the  horse  must  be  shod  first,  before  the  poultice 
is  applied,  pull  off  the  shoes,  examine  the  feet  to  see  if  there 
are  any  corns  ;  if  there  are  none  and  there  is  a  large  amount 
of  hoof,  remove  some  of  it,  so  that  the  slope  of  the  hoof  is 
like  the  slope  of  the  fetlock.  Should  the  heels  be  low  do 
not  make  them  any  lower  ;  open  them  up,  but  nob  enough 
to  bring  the  blood,  weaken  the  hoof  a  little  between  the 
bars  and  the  point  of  the  frog,  and  open  deeply  backward 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


139 


into  the  fissures  of  the  frog* ;  open  the  central  frog»fissure  a 
little,  from  base  to  point,  the  object  being-  to  cause  expan- 
sion to  take  place  through  the  center  of  the  hoof. 

Now  for  the  shoe  ;  the  best  is  a  common  convex  shoe, 
with  even  bearing-  alike  on  wall  and  sole,  extending-  one- 
half  over  the  hoof.  The  outside  of  the  shoe  should  extend 
no  farther  out  than  the  wall.  Bevel  the  heels  of  the  shoe 
next  to  the  wall  outward  from  the  heel  nail  hole  out.  Don't 
have  a  short  shoe,  but  let  it  be  long-,  and  remember  that 
most  stable  floors  slant  backward,  and  an  elevation  of  the 
heels  will  make  the  horse  stand  more  at  ease.  When  the 
shoe  is  ready  nail  it  on  the  foot  with  as  small  nails  as  pos- 
sible. Don't  draw  up  very  tight,  nor  pare  the  sole.  Use 
the  poultice  night  and  day  if  possible,  and  if  in  a  short 
time  the  horse  is  not  better,  take  off  the  shoe  and  examine 
to  see  where  the  trouble  lies.  Don  't  permit  the  owner  of  the 
horse  to  keep  the  shoes  on  more  than  four  weeks,  and  a  less 
time  would  be  better. 

This  is  the  way  I  treat  contracted  feet,  and  I  have  good 
success.  Try  it  and  you  will  find  it  makes  a  vast  difference 
in  the  travel  of  the  horse.— By  Rab. 

Contracted  Feet  Should  be  Kept  Moist. 

I  will  now  give  you  my  plan  for  shoeing  a  horse  with  con- 
tracted feet.  If  the  feet  are  badly  contracted  I  pare  the 
soles  very  thin  to  make  the  feet  spread  easily,  and  fit  the 
shoes  beveled  toward  the  outside  edge  from  the  last  nail 
hole  to  the  end  of  the  heel.  Before  the  shoe  is  nailed  on,  a 
small  sponge  is  placed  on  the  sole  and  covered  with  a  piece 
of  leather,  which  is  nailed  on  writh  the  shoe.  Several  small 
holes  may  be  made  in  the  leather  for  the  admission  of  moist- 
ure. 

It  is  of  great  importance  to  keep  the  feet  moist,  so  that 


140 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


the  frog  will  keep  out  the  heels  when  they  spread.  If  the 
feet  are  but  slightly  contracted  the  soles  need  not  be  pared, 
and  the  leather  and  sponge  may  be  omitted.  I  do  not  like 
the  idea  of  standing  a  horse  in  water  that  reaches  to  his 
ankles,  for  excessive  moisture  makes  the  hoof  brittle.  All 
that  is  necessary  is  to  keep  the  sole  and  frog  cool  and  soft, 
and  this  object  can  be  attained  with  a  packing  of  sponges, 
moss  or  felt.— By  Highland. 

Clipped  Shoe  for  Contracted  Feet. 

Concerning  the  shoeing  of  contracted  feet,  I  think  the 
shoe  should  be  clipped  on  the  inside  of  the  heel  in  order  to 


Fig.  79— Shoeing  Contracted  Feet,  as  done  by  C.  W.  Kohler. 


weaken  it  back  of  the  last  nail  as  shown  in  the  accompany- 
ing-illustration, Fig.  79.  The  spreader  is  intended  to  spread 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


141 


the  heel  only  and  not  to  tear  the  wall  of  the  foot  from  the 
sole.  The  main  point  is  to  keep  the  foot  as  short  as  pos- 
sible. 

I  have  shod  horses  in  this  way  and  secured  a  good  open 
heel  in  about  three  months.  In  one  of  these  cases  the 
horse  had  been  shod  with  the  Roberge  spring1  without  be- 
ing* benefited  at  all. 

Where  one  heel  only  is  contracted  I  use  Prof.  Rich's  half- 
bar  shoe*  and  find  it  very  efficacious,  for  there  is  generally 
some  of  the  frog-  left  in  such  afoot. — By  Chas.  W.  Kohler. 

Form  of  Shoe  for  Contracted  Feet. 

My  way  of  shoeing-  contracted  feet  is  as  follows  : 
Pare  the  sole  of  the  foot  so  that  it  can  be  sprung*  with  the 
thumb,  then  fit  on  a  medium  weight  shoe,  without  calks, 
and  make  a  clip  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration, 


Fig.  80— Showing  41 F.  E.  B."*s|"  Method  of  Shoeing  Contracted  Feet. 

Fig.  80,  on  the  inside  of  each  heel,  to  set  inside  of  the  bars 
on  each  side  of  the  frog  ;  then  set  the  shoe  and  spread  the 
heel  a  little  at  a  time.  The  foot  must  spread  and  the  clip 
takes  the  strain  off  the  nails  and  spreads  the  foot  at  the 
heels,  where  it  should  be  spread. — By  F.  E.  B. 


*  See  "  Artistic  Horseshoeing  "  by  Prof,  Geo,  B.  Rich,  published  by 
M.  T.  Richardson,  New  York. 


142 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


Improved  Shoe  for  Contracted  Feet. 

Various  ideas  are  set  forth  as  a  preventive  and  a  remedy 
for  contraction.  Nearly  every  one  who  thinks  that  he 
knows  anything-  about  the  disease  at  all  has  some  peculiar 
notion  of  his  own  as  to  how  and  in  what  manner  it  should 
be  treated. 

I  will  not  enter  upon  the  subject  to  a  very  great  ex- 


Fig.  81— Shoe  used  by  Isaac  A.  Cavanagh  for  Contracted  Feet. 

tent,  nor  touch  upon  the  many  theories  that  are  advanced 
for  the  relief  or  permanent  cure  of  the  trouble.  Neither 
will  I  consider  the  causes  that  bring  on  the  disease,  nor 
prescribe  any  new  expedient  for  a  permanent  cure.  I 
will  simply  set  forth  a  mode  of  proceeding  that  in  every 
ordinary  case  will  be  sure  to  give  satisfactory  results. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


143 


Suppose,  then,  that  a  horse  having-  a  contracted  foot  is 
brought  to  a  shop  to  be  shod.  Say  that  he  is  a  work  horse. 
The  owner,  we  will  say,  is  a  poor  man,  who  wants  to  work 
him  if  he  can  walk  at  all.  He  cannot  afford  to  have  his 
horse  laid  off  for  three  or  four  weeks  or  more,  and  undergo 
a  regular  course  of  veterinary  treatment.  Under  these 
circumstances,  then,  I  would  advise  the  following  treat- 
ment : 

Examine  the  foot  well,  and  if  the  heels  have  grown  high 
and  present  a  squeezed,  tight-looking  appearance,  with  the 
entire  surface  of  the  sole  and  frog  extremely  hard  and  bone- 
like, the  first  thing  you  should  do  is  to  rasp  or  pare  down 
the  heels  and  soles,  so  as  to  relieve  the  foot  from  this  un- 
natural iron- clad  compressure,  if  I  may  use  the  expression. 
Do  not  pare  the  sole  too  thin  ;  pare  so  that  it  will  yield 
under  strong  pressure  from  your  thumbs.  Open  out  the 
heels  in  good  shape,  but  do  not  pare  between  the  frog1  and 
the  bars  ;  keep  that  part  solid  and  strong,  but  loosen  every 
other  part  of  the  foot  as  much  as  you  can  without  injury  to 
the  sole. 

The  practical  shoer  will  understand  the  sort  of  paring  I 
mean  better  than  any  words  of  mine  can  convey  to  him. 
Now,  having  the  foot  ready,  you  can  prepare  the  shoe  some- 
what as  follows : 

Any  ordinary  shoe  will  do,  providing  it  has  a  moderately 
wide  web ;  keep  the  nails  well  forward  in  the  shoe,  so  that 
the  foot  will  have  every  chance  to  spread.  If  it  be  a  factory 
shoe,  probably  you  need  not  put  any  nails  in  the  back  holes, 
particularly  if  the  foot  be  short,  which  is  seldom  the  case  in 
contraction.  Bevel  the  shoe  on  the  outside  of  both  webs, 
on  the  foot  surface,  commencing  at  a  point  about  two  inches 
from  the  center  of  the  toe,  and  gradually  beveling*  off  to  the 
ends  of  the  heels.  Towards  the  heels  the  shoe  should  have 
a  good  sloping  bevel.     The  accompanying  illustration, 


144  .  THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 

Fig-.  81,  shows  how  the  foot  surface  of  the  shoe  should  look, 
and  also  the  shape  of  the  heels. 

Fit  the  shoe  well  to  the  foot,  making-  sure  that  it  has  an 
even  and  level  bearing  all  around,  ff  the  job  be  well  and 
neatly  done,  you  will  find  that  in  the  first  shoeing  the  foot 
has  improved.    Use  this  kind  of  a  shoe  for  two  or  three 


SECTION  AT  A  B. 

Fig.  82— Shoe  made  by  "  M.  J.  S.  N."  for  Contracted  Feet. 


shoeings,  in  the  meantime  using  some  good  foot  ointment 
or  preparation  to  soften  and  stimulate  the  growth  of  the 
foot.  If  you  do  this,  take  my  word  for  it,  all  will  go  well, 
and  the  owner  will  not  lose  money  by  being  obliged  to  lay 
the  horse  off  for  treatment. — By  Isaac  A,  Cavanagh, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


145 


A  Shoe  for  Contracted  Feet. 

The  accompanying  illustration,  Fig.  82,  represents  a 
horseshoe  used  by  some  smiths  for  spreading  the  heels 
of  hoof-bound  or  contracted  feet.  The  outside  is  beveled 
off  so  that  when  the  weight  comes  on  the  foot  it  will  tend 
to  spread  the  hoof.  The  nail  holes  are  made  well  forward, 
so  as  to  allow  the  back  or  heel  more  room  to  expand.  It 
will  readily  be  seen  that  with  a  shoe  so  formed  the  pressure 
on  the  hoof  will  be  considerable  every  time  the  horse  makes 
a  step.— By  M.  J.  S.  N. 

Shoeing  a  Mule's  Contracted  Foot. 

A  man  came  to  my  shop  once  with  a  lame  mule.  The 
animal's  feet  were  so  contracted  that  he  could  hardly  walk. 
A  German  veterinary  surgeon  came  with  the  owner  of  the 


Fig.  83— Showing  the  Piece  welded  on  the  under  side  of  the  Heel  for  Contraction. 

mule  and  under  this  surgeon's  instructions  I  did  the  shoe- 
ing as  follows  : 
I  first  made  a  shoe,  using  for  the  job  a  Burden's  No.  2 


Fig.  84— Showing  the  Piece  welded  on  the  Inside. 


hind -shoe,  and  next  welded  a  piece  about  2  inches  long  on 
the  under  ,  side  of  the  heel  on  each  side,  as  shown  at  A, 


146 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


in  Fig1.  83  of  the  accompanying  engravings ;  then  a  hole 
was  drilled  through  each  side,  ^-inch  in  diameter,  and  a 
piece  welded  upon  the  inside  and  allowed  to  stick  up  half  an 
inch  from  the  top  of  the  shoe  as  shown  in  Fig.  84,  at  B.  I 
next  made  a  f-inch  round  rod,  long  enough  to  reach  across 
the  shoe,  and  drew  out  each  end  small  enough  to  enter  the 


Fig.  85— Bottom  View  of  the  Shoe. 


holes  drilled.  A  shoulder  was  left  for  the  shoe  to  rest 
against.  One  of  the  ends  was  made  long  enough  for  an 
extra  nut,  as  shown  in  Fig.  85.  Then  after  cutting  a  thread 
upon  the  longest  end  up  to  the  sholder,  I  opened  or  spread 
the  shoe  and  screwed  a  nut  down  to  the  shoulder. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


147 


I  next  put  one  end  of  the  little  cross-bar  into  the  shoe  and 
then  inserted  the  other  end,  and  narrowed  up  the  shoe, 
bringing*  it  up  tight  to  the  shoulders.  I  leveled  the  foot, 
then  took  a  |-inch  wood  chisel  and  cut  just  inside  of  the 
heel  braces  to  allow  the  entrance  of  the  pieces  marked  B, 
in  Fig.  84. 

When  everything  was  fitted  nicely  I  nailed  the  shoes  on 
the  two  front  feet  (which  were  the  contracted  ones),  and 
then  took  a  little  wrench  and  spread  the  hoofs  by  screwing 
up  the  nut  upon  the  spreading-bar.  The  piece  B  took  the 
strain  from  the  nails  :  with  an  ordinary  shoe,  nails  could 
not  have  been  driven  far  enough  back  to  spread  the  heels 
as  did  the  piece  B. 

The  owner  was  told  to  give  the  bar  a  quarter  turn  around 
every  day.  The  threads  cut  upon  the  cross-bar  were  20  to 
the  inch.  In  Fig.  85,  a  bottom  view  of  the  shoe  is  given. 
The  mule  had  not  been  able  to  work  for  two  years,  but  he  is 
now  cured.  The  surgeon  gave  the  following  prescription 
for  a  dressing — this  was  applied  every  day  by  pressing  it 
into  and  around  the  frog  and  top  of  the  hoof — Kosmalein,  4 
ounces  ;  ammonia,  2  ounces  ;  carbolic  acid,  20  drops;  new 
linseed  oil,  1  pint.— By  C.  M.  Lyon. 

White  Pine  Pitch  for  Contracted  Feet. 

I  had  a  horse  that  had  contracted  feet  very  badly.  I  used 
white  pine  pitch  on  them,  and  was  surprised  to  see  what  a 
good  effect  it  had.  It  softened  the  hoof  and  it  began  to  grow, 
and  I  believe  if  I  had  kept  it  on  all  the  spring  he  would 
have  had  a  foot  as  big  as  an  elephant.  I  covered  the  foot 
all  over,  with  the  pitch  melted  so  as  to  stick  well. — By  H. 
A.  S. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


CORNS  AND  HOW  TO  TREAT  THEM. 

This  difficulty  though  a  prolific  cause  of  trouble  to  all 
horseshoers  has,  for  some  reason  or  other,  received  less 
attention  than  its  merits  would  seem  to  deserve.  Such 
articles  as  have  been  contributed  to  the  columns  of  the 
Blacksmith  and  Wheelwright,  are  presented  in  this  chap- 
ter for  the  consideration  of  the  reader. 

Shoeing  to  Prevent  Corns. 

There  have  been  many  writers  who  have  appeared  to 
settle  the  question  of  the  cause,  prevention,  and  cure  of 
corns,  their  theories  being*  all  based  upon  the  assumption 
that  vertical  pressure  causes  the  corn.  Respectfully  I  ask 
that  such  writers  go  a  little  deeper  into  the  subject  and  see 
if  the  facts  do  not  point  to  transverse  pressure  as  the 
cause,  and  to  vertical  pressure,  rightly  applied,  as  the  pre- 
ventive and  cure,  where  cure  is  possible.  Will  the  writer 
who  advises  paring  out  the  sole  and  concaving  the  shoe  so 
that  the  entire  hoof  contact  shall  be  with  the  shell  only, 
explain  wiry  it  is  necessary  to  prevent  the  sole  from  taking 
any  part  of  the  pressure  as  far  as  possible  ?  Of  course,  the 
answer  may  be : 

"  Because  sole  pressure  makes  the  corns,  and  removing 
sole  pressure  will  cure  them." 

But,  some  of  us  don't  accept  this.  We  believe  that  all 
parts  of  the  foot  have  functions  to  perform,  and  that 
removing  vertical  pressure  by  digging  out  the  sole,  concav- 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


149 


ing  the  shoe  to  the  extent  advocated  by  some,  cutting  away 
the  hoof  at.the  quarters,  or  springing-  the  shoe  off,  instead  of 
being*  curative  is  injurious,  in  that  it  ag*gravates  the  real 
difficulty — i.e.,  transverse  pressure  caused  by  contraction, 
Nature's  own  cure  for  which  is  vertical  pressure  in  a  proper 
way  with  every  step  the  horse  takes,  tending*  to  expand  the 
foot. 

It  is  possible,  of  course,  that  there  may  be  some  hidden 
meaning,  some  mysterious  knowledge  not  vouchsafed  to 
ordinary  mortals  back  of  the  statement  of  the  smith  who,  as 
he  fits  the  shoe  to  a  slightly  contracted  hoof,  the  inner 
quarter  slightly  wired  in,  says  :  "  I  want  to  give  all  the 
room  I  can  on  that  inner  quarter." 

What  does  he  do  ?  Spreads  the  heels  of  the  shoe  apart. 
Puts  the  narrowed,  pinched  heel  between  rather  than 
squarely  on  top  of  the  heels  of  the  shoe,  and  the  chances 
are  that  the  top  surface  of  the  shoe  at  the  heels  upon  which 
this  slight  bearing  is  made  will  be  beveled  inward.  Per- 
haps there  is  a  reason  why  a  foot  shod  this  way,  "with  a 
good,  broad,  open  heel,"  as  it  is  called,  should  find  relief; 
but  there  are  those  who  don't  see  it,  and  such  contend  that 
the  hoof  should  rest  upon  a  level  surface,  and  that  the  heels 
of  the  shoes  should  be  kept  in  where  all  of  the  back  part  of 
the  hoof  which  would  bear  upon  a  level  surface  shall  be,  on 
the  shoe,  never  between  to  hold  the  foot  from  expanding  at 
every  step,  as  it  inevitably  would  if  it  rested  upon  a  level 
surface.  There  are  those  who  advocate  beveling  the  top  of 
the  shoe  at  the  quarters  and  heels  outward  to  increase  the 
tendency  to  expand  from  vertical  pressure.  In  moderation 
this  may  be,  for  some  feet,  a  good  thing,  but  to  bevel  them 
inward,  as  hundreds  of  them  are,  must  put  the  horse  to 
excruciating  torment'at  every  step.  I  have  in  mind  a  pair 
of  forward  shoes  which  were  taken  from  a  lame  horse  and 
replaced  with  a  pair  the  top  surfaces  of  which  were  made 


150 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


strictly  level,  or  plain,  by  a  straightedge,  the  result  being 
that  inside  of  a  week  the  horse  went  perfectly  sound  and 
the  shoer  was  looked  upon  by  its  owner  as  a  most  wonder- 
ful man.  The  old  shoes  have  been  kept,  and  it  is  my  belief 
that  the  inside  of  the  web  at  the  heels  is  fully  one-eighth  of 
an  inch  lower  than  at  the  outside  !  On  such  a  shoe  the  foot 
was  practically  in  a  dish,  to  be  pinched  as  by  a  vise  at  each 
step.— By  S.  W.  Goodyear. 

Corns  in  Horses'  Feet. 

What  is  a  corn  in  a  horse's  foot,  and  what  are  the 
causes  of  it  ?  In  attempting  to  answer  this  question  I 
would  say,  in  the  first  place,  that  misplaced  blood  pro- 
duces the  corn  appearance,  on  the  same  principle  as  a 
bruise.  The  blood  settles  under  the  nail  of  a  jammed 
finger.  It  is  similar  in  a  horse's  foot.  When  the  hoof 
grows  down  and  the  bottom  of  the  foot  has  been  cut  off 
times  enough  to  show  the  corn  or  red  appearance,  every 
one  with  common  consent  says  the  horse  has  corns.  It 
is  blood  out  of  place  which  gives  the  corn  or  red  color. 
The  horse  might  have  been  lame  months  before  the  corn 
made  its  appearance  on  the  bottom,  in  the  angle  between 
the  crust  of  hoof  and  bar. 

It  is  said  that  the  cause  of  corns  is  bad  shoeing,  shoes 
badly  fitted,  short  shoes,  overmuch  cutting  away  of  the 
heel,  etc.,  etc.  Usually,  I  think,  these  hurts  are  the 
results  of  letting  shoes  stay  on  a  longer  time  than  they 
ought  at  one  setting.  The  shoe  goes  forward  with  the 
growth  of  the  foot,  and  the  heel  of  the  shoe  drops  off  into 
the  angle  between  the  crust  and  the  bar. 

Fever  in  the  foot  for  any  cause,  such  as  improper 
watering,  feeding,  sudden  chills,  an  unusual  drive,  with 
improper  care  when  released  or  stabled,  in  fact,  from 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESKOER. 


151 


anything  that  interferes  with  the  natural  circulation  of 
the  blood,  in  the  foot  or  that  cuts  off  the  circulation  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  germ  of  the  corn,  which  is  at  the 
wing  or  widest  point  of  the  paddle  bone,  may  be  a  cause 
of  this  difficulty.  Thus,  when  the  hoof  has  contracted 
for  any  cause,  so  that  the  shell  of  the  foot  rests  on  the 
bone,  and  has  cut  off  the  circulation,  the  result  is  similar 
to  a  bruise.  It  is  misplaced  blood,  or  a  dead  spot  or  a 
spot  destitute  of  circulation,  consequently  it  becomes 
sore  and  inflamed,  and  the  hoof  ceases  to  grow  naturally. 
The  red  or  corn  appearance  sometimes  shows  itself  over 
various  parts  of  the  entire  sole  of  the  foot  for  similar 
reasons. — By  S.  S. 

Cause  and  Treatment  of  Corns. 

I  think  the  owners  of  horses  are,  in  a  measure,  to 
blame,  but  there  may  be  cases  where  the  shoer  is  at 
fault.  Owners  will  not  have  shoes  removed  at  the  prop 
er  time,  and  the  shoe,  as  a  consequence,  becomes  bedded 
in  the  quarter  or  root  of  the  corn.  In  such  cases  the 
shoer  cannot  be  wholly  to  blame.  I  think  the  shoe  should, 
follow  the  shell  of  the  foot,  but  not  encroach  upon  the 
frog,  nor  bear  more  than  equally  on  the  heel.  If  left 
wide  at  the  heel,  contraction  is  apt  to  result. 

In  treating  corns  I  have  had  good  results  by  using 
butter  of  antimony — five  drops  at  an  application.  Two 
applications  will  generally  effect  a  cure  in  bad  cases. — By 
G.  H.  De  L. 

Shoeing  to  Cure  Corns. 

A  very  good  way  to  shoe  a  horse  that  has  corns  is  as 
follows  :     "Weld  a  toe  calk  lengthwise  on  the  heel  of  the 


152 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


shoe,  set  the  toe  on  the  inside  of  the  shoe,  or  on  the 
inside  edges,  and  cutting  out  of  a  rubber  boot  leg  a  piece 
the  same  size  as  the  shoe,  put  it  under  the  shoe. — By  A. 

a  a. 

Shoeing  for  Corns. 

My  way  of  curing  horses  that  have  corns,  or  are  hoof- 
bound  as  we  commonty  call  it,  is  as  follows  : 

I  use  a  common  factory-made  shoe  that  is  not  too 
light,  the  weight  being  made  to  depend  .  upon  the  weight 
of  the  horse.  The  shoe  has  a  toe  and  heel  that  are  the 
same  as  those  on  the  ordinary  shoe,  but  I  am  careful 
not  to  have  the  toe  too  high,  and  I  spring  the  heel  away 
from  the  hoof  behind  at  least  one-fourth  of  an  inch  just 
behind  the  last  nail,  which  should  not  be  too  close  to  the 
heel.  That  will  expand  the  hoof  half  an  inch  or  more  in 
less  than  a  year  and  the  corn  will  disappear.  When  a 
quick  cure  is  needed  I  cut  the  corn  out  well  and  burn  black 
with  a  hot  iron. — By  A.  B. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


INTERFERING  AND  OVER-REACHING. 

It  will  be  observed  by  a  careful  perusal  of  this  chapter 
that  the  methods  of  different  shoers  differ  considerably. 
As  in  each  case  recited,  the  shoer  has  presumabty  met 
with  more  or  less  success  with  the  plan  suggested,  it 
seems  the  duty  of  the  editor  to  present  the  various  meth- 
ods described,  and  permit  shoers  to  select  such  as  seem 
to  fit  the  particular  case  they  may  have  to  treat. 


How  to  Shoe  Interfering  Horses. 

The  subject  of  interfering  engrosses  the  attention  of 
horse-shoers  and  those  who  use  horses,  .m  to  a  greater 
extent  than  anyone  unacquainted  with  the  subject  would 
suppose. 

This  defect  in  a  valuable  horse  is  of  serious  moment  to 
those  who  value  speed  or  require  it  in  their  business. 
It  is  said  by  many  that  the  real  cause  of  interfering  is 
weakness  in  the  limbs.  There  are  cases  where  this  cause 
is  probably  the  correct  one,  and  many  others  where  it 
cannot  be  entertained  at  all.  Interfering  is  a  great  mis- 
fortune to  a  horse,  and  to  be  remedied,  requires  strict 
observation  and  a  practical  understanding  of- the  move- 
ments of  horses'  limbs.  Horses  that  interfere  front  and 
behind,  and  also  forge,  require  from  the  smith  the  exer- 
cise of  considerable  patience  and  judgment  in  the  choice 


154 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOES. 


of  a  method  of  shoeing-,  which  will  give  the  most  satisfac- 
tory results. 

In  \  shoeing  the  hind  feet  some  weight  the  shoe,  the  - 
outer  half  being  wider  than  the  inner.  Others  cut  away 
the  outside  of  the  hoof,  thus  causing  the  foot  to  lean  out 
and  throwing  the  fetlock  joint  into  an  angular  position, 
the  shoe  being  level.  This  device  produces  an  unnatural 
gait,  and  is  a  continual  punishment  to  the  animal  as 
long  as  the  angularity  lasts. 

Bare-footed  horses  seldom  interfere,  and  when  they  do 
so,  it  is  caused  by  carelessness  on  the  part  of  those  who 


care  for  fhem,  in  not  having  the  superfluous  hoof 
removed  by  the  rasp.  A  horse  that  has  his  hoofs  pared 
level  and  the  shoe  also  level,  with  the  inner  part  of  the 
shoe  having  a  slightly  greater  radius  than  the  outer 
part,  with  two  nails  just  inside  the  toe,  or  none  at  all  in 
severe  cases,  the  shoe  to  be  set  under  well  and  a  clip  put 
on  the  outside  between  the  toe  and  quarter,  will  often  give 
good  results. 

Projecting  nails  cause  cutting  in  nine  cases  where  the 
shoe  does  in  one.  For  a  horse  that  is  almost  incurable 
in  striking,  a  half-bar  shoe,  made  as  shown  in  accompa- 


Fig.  86— A  Half  Bar  Shoe  for  Interfering. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


155 


jrying  illustration,  Fig.  86,  will  be  found  very  serviceable. 
A  half-bar  shoe  is  one  with  a  plate  extending  from  the 
inner  half  of  the  shoe  resting  on  the  frog.  This  allows 
more  area  for  the  weight  to  rest  on,  and  removes  it  from 
the  sole  of  the  foot.  Some  horses  never  strike  below  a 
six-mile  gait,  but  between  that  and  eleven-mile  gait  there 
is  often  some  fearful  striking. 

Speed  horses  should  never  be  shod  heavy  behind.  A 
horse  can  pick  his  limbs  up  better  when  not  burdened 
with  metal.  'The  cords  of  the  legs  can  be  controlled  bet- 
ter  when  taxed  to  give  momentum  to  a  weight  of  iron 
not  required. 

The  setting  in  of  the  shoe  can  also  be  observed  when 
the  horse  strikes  with  the  front  feet.  Reduce  the  size  of 
the  foot  by  cutting  away  the  toe  as  much  as  possible. 
Let  the  angularity  commence  at  the  heel,  and  relieve  the 
toe  of  as  much  hoof  as  the  circumstances  allow.  This  is 
an  advantage,  as  the  hoof  is  reduced  in  size  and  brought 
outside  the  line  of  danger  in  traveling.  And  this  is  all 
that  is  required. 

When  a  shoe  begins  to  bend  it  has  passed  its  point  of 
usefulness,  and  should  be  removed  at  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity. A  warping  shoe  is  most  injurious  to  a  horse's 
foot.  Many  horsemen  never  think  of  tracing  the  ail- 
ments of  their  horses'  feet  to  warping  shoes  ;  but  they 
are  an  incessant  source  of  danger.  It  often  takes  weeks' 
time  and  loss  of  service  to  eradicate  evils  which  they 
produce. — By  C.  S. 

Bad  Case  of  Interfering  Cured. 

An  otherwise  valuable  horse  was  an  incorrigible  inter- 
ferer  forward.  He  struck  all  the  way  from  the  ankle  to 
the  knees,  according  to  the  speed  at  which  he  was  driven. 


156 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


and  had  to  be  booted  anew  often,  for  he  literally  wore  his 
boots  out  in  a  short  time.  All  the  smiths  in  town  who  be- 
lieved they  could  stop  him  had  tried  and  failed. 

A  shoer  from  out  of  town  having-  heard  of  the  horse 
while  oil  a  visit,  said  he  would  like  to  shoe  him,  and  was  in- 
vited by  a  local  shoer  to  use  his  shop  and  tools  for  the  pur- 
pose. Turning  a  pair  of  shoes,  removing  the  old  ones, 
paring  the  feet,  doing  all  the  work  of  setting  and  finishing 
off  the  feet  himself,  in  a  self-reliant  and  handy  way,  in  a 
strange  shop,  showed  the  man  to  be  a  workman. 

The  shoes  were  made  with  the  web  on  the  outside  very 
much  |ieavier  and  wider  than  on  the  inside.  They  were  an 
exag-eration  of  the  shape  used  by  some  of  the  best  drivers 
of  trotters  to  make  a  horse  travel  wider  both  forward  and 
behind.  A  long,  high  side-calk  was  put  on  the  inside  web. 
There  were  no  heel  calks  or  toes  put  on.  It  seemed,  to 
look  at  the  awkward  things,  as  though  it  would  be  a  clear 
case  of  cruelty  to  animals  to  make  horses  wear  them.  The 
side-calk  was  more  than  an  inch  high.  ' 

"Won't  it  break  his  legs,  or  lame  him  to  cant  the  feet 
over  so  much  ?"  I  asked.    The  answer  was  : 

"If  this  horse  is  ever  made  to  go  without  hitting,  its  got 
to  be  done  by  busting  his  g*ait.  I  think  I  can  bust  his  gait 
with  these  shoes." 

When  the  job  was  done,  the  horse  was  driven  half  a  doz- 
en miles  or  more.  The  roads  were  muddy,  so  that  had  he 
hit  there  would  have  been  marks.  Not  a  mark  could  be 
seen.  Said  the  driver,  "I  have  driven  him  up  and  down 
hill,  and  on  level  ground,  from  a  walk  to  a  2:50  clip.  It  is 
the  most  wonderful  thing  I  ever  knew  !  If  you  had  driven 
him  the  distance  of  a  block  before  he  would  have  hit  a  doz- 
en times." 

Said  the  shoer  who  had  wrought  the  change,  "  I  would 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


157 


use  a  lower  calk  next  time,  and  when  his  gait  is  thoroughly 
'busted/  when  he  gives  up  his  old  way  of  going  for  good, 
he  can  be  let  down  level." 

This  was  one  case;  may  there  not  be  others  like  it  ?  If 
among  our  score  or  more  of  shops  this  horse  found  no  cure 
of  his  knocking  until  by  chance  an  outsider  took  up  the 
case,  why  is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  there  may  be 
other  places  in  which  this  wrinkle  has  been  untried,  but 
would  be  just  the  thing?  Only  for  extreme  cases  would  I 
advocate  this  plan.— By  S.  W.  Goodyear. 

Shoeing  Interfering  Horses. 

I  will  give  my  plan  for  shoeing  horses  for  interfering  in 
front  feet. 

In  the  first  place  pare  the  foot  perfectly  level,  then  have 
your  shoe  the  same  thickness  on  both  sides,  but  have  the 
web  of  the  outside  of  the  shoe  a  little  wider  than  the  inside 
in  order  to  have  it  some  heavier  on  the  outside.  Then  if 
the  horse  strikes  wTith  the  inside  quarter  or  between  the 
quarter  and  toe  of  the  foot,  as  is  generally  the  case,  begin 
straightening  the  shoe  a  little  forward  of  the  place  that 
does  the  cutting.  Make  the  inside  of  the  shoe  almost 
straight,  leaving  the  inside  heel  as  far  away  from  the  frog 
as  possible,  and  have  the  inside  of  the  shoe  a  little  longer 
than  the  outside.  Chamfer  the  shoe  where  it  does  the  cut- 
ting from  the  upper  and  inner  edge  to  the  nail  heads,  and 
have  the  shoe  fit  in  close  enough  at  that  point  to  let  the 
hoof  extend  over  the  shoe  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  and 
the  round  sharp  edge  with  the  rasp.  After  you  have  the  shoe 
fitted  be  careful  to  set  the  toe  directly  opposite  the  point  of  the 
frog.  I  have  had  good  success  with  several  bad  cases  in 
this  way,— By  C.  J.  T, 


158 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


The  Cause  of  Interfering  and  its  Remedy. 

With  regard  to  interfering'  horses  my  experience  is  that 
when  the  hoof  is  even,  as  in  the  case  of  a  colt  that  has 
never  been  shod,  there  is  never  any  interfering.  By  an 
even  hoof  1  mean  one  on  which,  taking  the  frog  from  the 
center  of  the  foot,  I  find  about  as  much  hoof  inside  the  frog 
as  outside  of  it.  This  perfectly  level  bearing  of  the  feet  in- 
side and  outside  prevents  all  twisting  or  sidewise  motions 
of  the  limbs  while  they  are  in  motion.  On  the  other  hand, 
I  find  that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  where  two-thirds  of  the 
hoof  is  outside  the  frog  the  horses  are  knee-knockers  and 
interferers.  I  think  interfering  is  chiefly  due  to  bad  shoe- 
ing, that  is  by  the  smith  taking  a  little  more  off  the  inside 
every  time  the  horse  is  shod.  This  destroys  the  equal  bear- 
ing and  then  the  horse  begins  to  interfere.  To  remedy  it 
the  hoof  must  be  brought  out  on  the  inside  and  taken  off  on 
the  outside. — By  L.  K. 

Interfering. 

With  reference  to  interfering"  between  horses'  hind  feet,  I 
have  employed  the  following  method  for  over  ten  years, 
and  it  has  given  good  satisfaction.  I  pare  the  outside  of 
the  foot  the  lowest  and  leave  the  inside  the  highest.  I 
make  my  shoes  the  thickest  on  the  inside  and  draw  them  as 
narrow  as  I  can  conveniently.  I  make  the  outside  the 
thinnest,  and  of  ordinary  width.  I  fit  the  shoes  as  narrow 
from  the  toe  to  the  heel  of  the  inside  as  possible,  so  as  not 
to  get  the  nails  too  deep  in  the  foot.  I  fit  the  outside  the 
same  as  an}^  other  shoe. 

My  idea  is  to  have  the  foot  the  highest  on  the  inside, 
which  throws  the  pastern  joint  out  from  the  other  foot  when 
it  is  set  on  the  ground  and  while  the  opposite  foot  passes  it 
in  making  the  step.    I  fit  the  shoe  a  little  narrow  on  the  in- 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


159 


side  and  take  care  not  to  rasp  the  foot  quite  to  the  shoe,  so 
that  the  shoe  itself  will  not  bo  apt  to  strike.  Considerable 
judgment  is  necessary  to  be- exercised  upon  the  part  of  the 
smith  to  be  successful  in  cases  of  this  kind.  Nothing*  short 
of  experience  will  take  him  through.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered that  sometimes  a  horse  cuts  with  the  heel ;  other 
times  it  is  with  the  toe,  hence  it  is  not  always  necessary  to 
fit  the  shoe  narrow  at  both  toe  and  heel.  It  is  well,  how- 
ever, to  do  so  on  the  first  trial. — By  G.  W.  D. 

A  Cure  for  Interfering — A  Calk  Swage. 

A  few  words  on  the  subject  of  interfering  may  be  of  inter- 
est for  the  reason  that  it  is  a  matter  on  which  no  two  shoers 


Fig.  87— A  Shoe  for  Interfering  Horses. 


agree.  What  will  cure  one  horse  will  often  cause  another 
to  interfere.    In  ordinary  cases  paring  the  foot  perfectly 


160 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


level/ fitting-  the  shoe  very  close  and  leaving- out  the  heel 
nail  on  the  inside,  will  effect  a  cure.  The  clinch  from  the 
heel  nail  working*  up  often  causes  interfering.  In  bad  cases 
I  use  a  shoe  like  that  shown  in  Fig.  87  of  the  accompanying 
illustrations.  This  shoe  should  be  forged  of  the  same  thick- 
ness all  around.  I  usually  make  the  inside  about  one-half 
inch  and  the  outside  one  inch  in  width,  with  a  gradual  taper  in 
the  toe.  If  this  shoe  is  properly  fitted  to  the  foot  it  will  stop 
the  worst  case  of  interfering-.  I  am  opposed  to  rocking-,  ie., 
paring  all  on  one  side,  as  that  is  a  direct  cause  of  crooked 
and  weak  ankles.    I  admit  that  it  will  often  prevent  inter- 


fering-, but  the  "  remedy  is  worse  than  the  disease."  The 
useful  little  tool  shown  in  Fig.  88  is  a  calk  swage  that  I 
often  find  convenient  in  upsetting-  and  squaring  sharp  calks 
and  also  in  welding  toe  calks  that  have  been  partially  loos- 
ened by  sharpening.  I  think  any  explanation  in  regard 
to  it  unnecessary,  as  its  construction  is  clearly  shown  in  the 
cut.— By  C.  H.  H. 


I  will  describe  my  way  of  shoeing  interfering  horses. 
Most  smiths  in  shoeing  an  interfering  horse,  pare  the  foot 
on  one  side,  a  quarter  or  half  an  inch  lower  than  on  the 


Fig.  88— A  Swage  for  Calks. 


A  Shoe  for  Interfering  Horses. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


161 


other.  Sometimes  the  paring*  is  done  on  the  inside  and 
sometimes  on  the  outside.  Now,  I  was  taught  to  pare 
the  foot  lower  on  the  outside,  taking*  out  one-quarter  of 
an  inch  so  as  to  make  the  horse  wide  between  the  ankles. 


Fig.  89— A  Shoe  made  by  "J.  J."  for  Interfering  Horses. 


I  was  told  to  make  the  shoe  with  about  the  same  differ- 
ence in  height,  the  outside  being  about  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  the  lower.  It  is  clear  that  by  this  method  the 
horse's  legs  are  strained  all  the  time,  and  the  bearing  is 
all  on  the  inside  of  the  shoe,  consequently  the  shoe  will 
not  remain  on  the  foot  long.  My  present  method  of  shoe- 
ing is  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration,  Fig.  89. 
The  shoe  is  made  wide  on  one  side  and  of  the  same  thick- 
ness, consequently  when  the  horse  stands  upright  on  his 
feet  there  will  be  no  strain,  but  when  he  puts  up  his  foot 


162 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


to  move,  the  wide  or  heavy  side  of  the  shoe,  being-  on  the 
inside,  has  a  tendency  to  throw  his  feet  or  ankles  apart. — 
By  J.  J. 

Fitting  Shoes,  Curing  Overreaching  and  Interfering. 

I  took  two  premiums  in  Indiana  for  horseshoeing*,  and 
therefore  your  readers  may  be  interested  in  my  methods 
of  doing  such  work. 

I  first  pare  the  hoof  level,  then  fit  the  shoe  to  the  hoof 
cold.  If  the  horse  is  one  that  loses  shoes  easily,  I  drive  the 
nails  wedge  shape,  turning  the  points  of  the  two  toe 
nails  toward  the  heel  and  the  points  of  the  heel  nails  to 
the  toe.  This  makes  a  very  strong  job.  If  the  horse 
interferes  I  rasp  the  outside  of  the  hoof  -a  very  little  low- 
er than  the  inside  and  never  turn  the  inside  calk  under 
the  hoof  as  many  smiths  do  to  stop  interfering. 

For  overreaching  I  pare  the  heel  of  the  front  hoof  the 
loAvest,  and  make  the  heel  of  the  shoes  thin  and  the  toe  thick. 
The  hind  shoe  should  have  a  thin  toe  and  a  thick  heel,  leav- 
ing the  hoof  high  at  the  heel  and  turning  the  toe  all  it  will 
bear.  This  will  cure  the  worst  cases.  I  think  good  nails 
are  very  essential  to  good  shoeing.  The  main  object  of  the 
smith  should  be  to  get  the  shoe  fitted  level  and  flat  on 
the  foot  before  the  nails  are  driven.  It  will  not  answer 
to  depend  on  the  nails  drawing  the  shoe  to  the  hoof. — By 
J.  C.  D. 

Shoeing  to  Prevent  Interfering. 

The  majority  of  horses  strike  with  the  edge  of  the 
shoe  or  clinches,  usually  between  the  toe  and  heel  nail. 
They  do  not  strike  with  the  heel  calk,  as  a  great  many 
shoers  think.  It  is  only  occasionally  that  a  horse  is 
found  that  strikes  with  the  heel  calk.  Very  few  horses 
have  a  natural  tendency  to  strike.    The  habit  is  usually 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


163 


brought  on'by  careless  driving-.  Over-driving",  causing*  the 
horse  to  become  leg*  weary,  is  a  common  cause  of  the  diffi- 
culty. Allowing-  the  shoes  to  remain  on  too  long-  until  the 
clinches  work  out,  or  the  animal  becomes  smooth  in  the 
winter,  or  on  icy  roads,  is  also  a  cause.  Some  horses 
strike  when  they  become  poor  or  thin  in  flesh. 

By  attention  to  the  sore  ankles  thus  caused  without 
changing-  the  shoeing-,  they  g-et  entirely  over  the  habit 
when  they  are  ag-ain  in  good  condition.  The  first  thing-, 
therefore,  necessary  to  be  done  is  to  find  out  what  partic- 
ular part  of  the  shoe  the  horse  strikes  with.  My  plan  is 
to  straighten  out  that  part  and  clinch  down  smooth, 
rasping*  away  the  shell.  If  the  horse  is  poor,  I  prescribe 
more  feed  and  careful  attention  to  the  sore  ankles.  If 
he  strikes  from  over-driving-,  I  straig-hten  a  little  and 
prescribe  more  careful  handling*.  In  the  worst  cases  in  win- 
ter time,  I  turn  the  outside  heel  calk,  not  the  inside  one,  as 
some  shoers  recommend,  in  order  to  keep  the  foot  from 
working*  in  after  it  is  placed  on  the  ground.  I  shoe  often 
enough  to  keep  the  horse  from  slipping.  I  think  if  these 
rules  are  intelligently  followed  by  any  shoer,  he  will  have 
no  difficulty  wTith  cases  of  this  kind.  It  often  requires  two, 
and  sometimes  three,  trials,  especially  if  the  horse  has  sore 
ankles,  before  a  cure  is  effected.  Some  owners  think  that 
the  smith  should  stop  the  worst  cases  and  heal  up  the  sore 
ankles  by  the  first  shoeing.  This  is  unreasonable,  as  many 
readers  will  doubtless  agree. — By  F.  H.  S. 

Interfering. 

There  are  many  ways  to  lessen,  to  some  extent,  the  in- 
terfering of  a  horse,  but  what  is  applicable  to  one  is  not  al- 
wa3rs  good  for  another,  and  the  more  methods  we  are  ac- 
quainted with  the  more  likely  we  are  to  select  one  which 
will  prove  serviceable. 


164 


frME  Tactical  hobb&bHOeK. 


The  following  may  be  of  advantage  to  some  shoers  ! 
Prepare  the  shoe  as  shown  in  Fig.  90,  having  no  heel  on 


Fig .  90— Design  for  an  Interfering  Shoe  with  Side  Calk. 

the  inside.  Let  the  height  of  the  iron  answer  for  a  heel, 
the  same  as  the  ordinary  style  of  interfering  shoe.    Have  a 


Fig.  91— Front  View,  Showing  Calk  on  the  Inside  at  A  and  the  Angle  of  the  Foot. 

heel  on  the  outside  of  the  shoe.  Weld  a  calk  about  one  and 
a  quarter  inches  long  back  of  the  inside  nail  holes  (as  per 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


ICS 


sketch  at  A)  on  the  inside  of  the  shoe.  Bevel  the  toe  calk 
off  on  the  outside.  Have  the  outside  heel  calk  lower  than 
the  inside  of  the  shoe.    When  done  place  the  shoe  on  a 


Fig.  92— Rear  of  Heels. 

level  surface  and  see  that  all  the  bearings  touch.  Heat  and 
hot  file  the  inside  from  the  toe  back  as  far  as  is  required  to 
an  under  level,  and  to  within  a  little  of  the  nail  holes  so  as 
to  remove  all  unnecessary  projecting-  metal  (for  this  pur- 


Fig.  93— Inside  View  of  Hind  Foot,  Showing  the  Calk  A  and  Toe  Calk. 

pose  draw  down  the  ends  of  a  rasp,  not  fit  for  the  floor,  put 
two  handles  on  it  and  you  then  have  the  best  of  double- 
handed  files,  with  temper  enough  left  in  its  center  for  all 


166 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


practical  purposes).  Leave  the  inside  of  the  shoe,  for  some 
length,  nearly  straight  if  the  horse  is  strong  limbed,  and 
leave  the  heels  as  wide  as  possible.  This  increases  the  area 
of  bearing,  but  if  the  backing  strap  in  going  down  hill 
draws  his  feet  together  it  is  essential  that  the  inside  heel 
should  be  quite  thin  and  carried  out  of  the  line  of  danger, 
circumstances  controlling  in  this  point  as  in  many  others. 
Harden  the  inside  of  the  toe  calk  and  not  the  outside,  thus 
retaining  the  level  of  the  shoe  as  long  as  possible.  Horse- 
shoeing allows  of  no  set  method. — By  C.  S. 

Interfering. 

My  method  is,  in  the  first  place,  to  find  what  part  of  the 
hoof  or  the  shoe  comes  in  contact  with  the  ankle.  If  the 
hoof  does  not  show  any  mark,,  take  a  piece  of  chalk  or  a 
little  tar  and  rub  it  on  the  ankle  and  start  the  horse.  Let 
the  horse  be  examined  carefully  until  the  smith  has  assured 
himself  just  what  part  of  the  hoof  or  shoe  comes  in  contact 
with  the  ankle..  If  a  horse  strikes  with  the  toe  at  the  first 
or  second  nail,  straighten  the  shoe  at  that  point  and  raise 
the  inside  calk  a  little  so  as  to  throw  the  ankle  outward. 
If  he  strikes  with  the  heel  of  the  foot,  straighten  the  shoe 
from  the  second  toe  nail  back  to  the  heel  and  take  off  the 
hoof  at  that  point. 

Some  horses  do  not  come  in  contact  with  the  shoe  ;  it  is 
the  hoof  that  strikes.  If  a  horse  strikes  with  the  heel  calk 
turn  it  under  a  little.  Apply  the  same  methods  with  chalk 
or  tar  with  the  fore  foot.  If  the  horse  interferes  with  the 
toe  straighten  that  part  of  the  shoe.  If  with  the  toe  of  the 
hoof  at  about  the  first  or  second  nail  where  they  are 
clinched,  rasp  the  hoof  away  as  much  as  it  will  bear,  and 
lay  in  the  clinches  so  as  to  be  sure  they  will  not  work  out,  and 
raise  the  inside  heel  calks  as  much  as  may  be  deemed  best. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER.  167 

If  a  horse's  ankle  stands  in,  or  if  his  hoof  appears  as  though 
the  toe  of  the  hoof  was  turned  outward,  raise  the  outside 
three-eighths  of  an  inch  higher  than  the  opposite  side.  If 
in  winter  time  let  the  inside  calk  be  blunt  and  sharpen  the 
outside.  If  the  horse  is  heavy  and  well  spread,  weight  the 
outside  web  twice  as  much  as  the  inside. 

If  a  horse  strikes  his  knee,  or  is  what  we  call  a  knee- 
knocker,  the  remedty  to  be  applied  is  as  follows  :  Fit  up  a 
common  shoe  letting  the  inside  of  the  toe  calk  project  over 
the  shoe  one-fourth  or  three-eighths  of  an  inch.  Let  the 
outside  of  the  calk  be  a  little  short  so  that  the  toe  will  wear 
on  the  outer  corner.  If  the  horse  strikes  below  the  knee 
the  smith  can  take  a  heavier  shoe  and  straighten  it  a  little 
more  than  usual  at  the  inside,  back  of  the  toe. — By  J.  I. 

Interfering — Overreaching — Hot  and  Cold  Fitting. 

Probably  there  is  no  one  thing  there  are  so  many  theories 
about  as  the  matter  of  horseshoeing.  Now  I  want  to  say 
to  all  young  men  and  new  beginners,  don't  ever  get  a  pet 
theory  upon  any  subject.  If  you  do,  you  will  just  as  cer- 
tainly fail  as  did  the  quack  doctor  who  doctored  an  English- 
man and  cured  him,  and  afterward  doctored  a  Frenchman 
who  had  the  same  disease,  and  gave  him  the  same  treatment 
and  he  died.  The  doctor  set  it  down  in  his  memorandum 
book  that  what  would  cure  an  Englishman  would  kill  a 
Frenchman.  Now  you  may  take  two  horses  that  interfere 
and  shoe  them  just  alike  ;  and  you  may  cure  the  one  and  make 
the  other  worse,  and  the  same  is  true  of  overreaching 
horses. 

What  is  the  cause?  It  is  this:  No  two  horses  are 
exactly  alike  in  any  particular  ;  neither  do  they  travel  alike, 
or  even  stand  still  alike.  In  the  matter  of  interfering  the 
shoer  must  look  his  horse  over  and  see  him  travel  in  order 


168 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOEft. 


to  arrive  at  anything  like  a  correct  idea  of  what  is  needed 
in  his  case. 

For  instance,  a  horse  that  hits  forward,  if  he  is  a  thick- 
breasted,  well  spread  animal,  generally  needs  a  different 
kind  of  shoe  from  the  thin  horse,  with  both  legs  close 
together.  If  the  shoer,  or  any  one  else,  will  stand  in  front 
or  behind  the  thick,  well-spread  horse,  when  he  is  travel- 
ing, if  he  interferes,  he  will  observe  that  when  he  lifts  his 
feet  it  is  done  with  a  roll  or  swing  inwards.  That  horse 
wants  to  be  shod  with  a  shoe  of  equal  thickness  all  round 
but  twice  as  wide  on  the  outside,  to  weight  the  outside  of 
the  foot  and  make  it  balance. 

If,  however,  your  horse  is  thin,  and  his  legs  are  close 
together,  and  he  travels  close,  you  want 'to  make  the  shoe 
the  thickest  on  the  inside  and  straighten  it  a  little  in  the 
spot  where  he  hits.  With  the  hind  feet  I  have  but  little 
trouble.  You  should  take  particular  notice  how  the  horse 
stands  and  travels.  If  he  carries  his  feet  straight,  pare  the 
foot  a  little,  the  lowest  on  the  outside,  and  set  the  shoe  in  a 
little  on  the  inside,  but  if  your  horse  toes  out,  as  a  great 
many  do,  set  your  shoe  wrell  round  upon  the  inside  toe  and  out 
at  the  heel,  and  trim  off  the  outside  toe,  so  as  to  make  him 
travel  square.-  These  are  general  directions,  and  with  me 
the  treatment  described  has  been  successful'  in  cases  of 
interfering. 

I  have  always  found  overreaching  more  difficult  to  over- 
come, but  here  again  do  not  get  an}?-  pet  theory  in  your 
head.  If  I  do  not  succeed  the  first  time, -I  tr}r  some  other 
method.  Were  I  to  shoe  a  horse  that  I  had  never  seen 
before  and  knew  nothing  about,  I  should  put  heavy  shoes  in 
front  and  light  ones  behind  ;  if  this  did  not  help  the  matter 
I  would  put  on  light  ones  all  round  ;  or  I  would  set  the  toe 
calk  well  back  on  the  hind  shoe  and  set  the  shoe  nearly 
flush  with  the  rim  of  the  foot  (no  half-inch  back  for  me) ;  put 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


169 


the  heel  calks  of  the  front  shoe  one-half  or  three-quarters 
of  an  inch  from  the  heel,  and  bevel  the  heel  from  the  ground 
side  to  nearly  a  point.  Horses  generally  outgrow  this  dis- 
agreeable habit  as  the3T  grow  older.  I  observe  that  one 
shoer  recommends  using  nothing  but  hind  shoes.  Now  I 
think  that  all  wrong,  for  this  reason :  There  are  many 
horses  that  have  a  very  wide,  flat  foot ;  if  you  use  narrow 
shoes  there  is  nothing  to  protect  the  bottom  of  the  foot, 
and  it  is  growing  worse  all  the  time  ;  but  if  you  use  a  shoe 
with  a  wide  web  it  will  take  an  equal  part  of  the  pressure 
and  keep  the  foot  from  sagging  down. 

I  wish  to  say  a  few  words  about  the  much-talked-of  sub- 
ject, "  Hot  and  Cold  Fittings."  I  am  for  hot  fitting  in  the- 
ory and  cold  in  practice.  But  some  one  will  say  that  is 
inconsistent.  My  reason  is,  that  while  I  do  not  believe  a 
shoe  can  be  fitted  to  a  horse's  foot  so  nicely  in  any  other 
way  as  when  hot,  I  usually  fit  cold  to  please  my  customers, 
who  know  no  more  about  a  horse's  foot  than  they  do  about 
the  internal  arrangement  of  the  kingdom  of  Heaven. 
There  seems  to  be  considerable  talk  about  what  is  hot  and 
cold  fitting.  I  do  not  believe  in  heating  a  shoe  white  hot, 
and  burning  the  foot  down  without  using  the  butteris  or 
knife,  but  I  do  believe  in  having  the  shoe  moderately  red. 
Then  place  it  on  the  foot  and  burn  a  little  and  pare  a  little 
until  you  get  the  foot  to  the  proper  size  and  shape.  Do  not 
have  your  shoe  too  cold,  for  if  you  do  you  may  keep  it  on 
so  long  as  to  heat  the  foot  through  and  injure  it. — By 
Granite  State. 

Interfering,  How  to  Prevent  it. 

In  regard  to  interfering,  I  have  had  the  best  success  with 
horses  that  interfere  by  paring  the  foot  as  small  as  it  will 
do.    Have  the  foot  perfectly  level,  then  fit  the  shoe  to  the 


170 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOED. 


foot,  not  the  foot  to  the  shoe.  Do  not  fit  the  inside  of  the. 
shoe  under  the  foot,  and  the  outside  fall,  but  keep  the 
inside  of  the  shoe  full  and  instead  of  putting-  a  clip  on  the 
outside  of  the  shoe  put  it  on  the  inside  of  the  shoe,  about 
one-third  the  length  of  the  shoe  from  the  heel.  I  have 
found  that  this  plan  will  stop  the  worst  kind  of  cases  of 
interfering  if  the  ankles  are  not  too  badly  swollen.— By 
G.  F.  J. 

Curing  an  Interfering  Horse. 

Some  time  ag-o  a  young-  man  came  into  my  shop  with  a 
fine  black  filly  that*  was  interfering-  badly,  and  asked  me  if 
I  could  cure  her.    Looking-  at  the  animal's  leg's  I  remarked 


Fig.  94— A  Shoe  for  Interfering  Horses. 


it  was  asking  a  good  deal  of  a  man  to  cure  her  in  the  condi- 
tion she  then  was  in.  I  believe  I  would  be  safe  in  saying 
that  a  circle  of  an  inch  and  a  half  would  not  have  covered  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  KORSESHOER. 


171 


space  on  her  legs  that  was  raw  and  bleeding.  But  I  in- 
formed him  I  would  do  the  best  I  could,  and  I  cured  that 
mare.  As  my  manner  of  treating-  such  cases  may  be  of 
benefit  to  some  of  ray  brother  mechanics,  I  will  describe  it. 
I  do  not  use  a  regular  interfering  shoe,  for  I  find  it  will  not 
work  in  a  bad  case  of  interference.  Of  course,  I  prepare 
the  foot  carefully,  leaving  the  inside  a  little  the  higher,  if 
possible.  I  then  take  any  shoe  and  raising  the  heel  calk 
on  the  inside,  put  my  toe  calk  considerably  past  the  center 
on  the  inside,  leaving  the  outside  calk  plain,  in  other  words 
without  any  calk,  as  shown  in  the  illustration,  Fig.  94.  I 
have  never  known  this  mode  of  shoeing  to  fail  in  the  very 
worst  case. — By  C.  E.  C. 

Corns — Interfering — Overreaching  —  Welding  Toe-Calks 
— Cold  Fitting. 

Nine  persons  out  of  ten  will  say  that  corns  in  horses'  feet 
are  caused  by  bad  shoeing.  My  experience  will  justify  me 
in  saying  that  nine-tenths  of  the  corns  are  caused  by  the 
owners  of  horses  neglecting  to  get  them  shod  as  often  as 
they  ought.  We  are  nearly  all  agreed  that  horses  should 
be  shod  as  often  as  once  in  every  four  to  seven  ^eeks,  ac- 
cording to  circumstances.  Now,  a  great  many  horse  own- 
ers, particular^  farmers,  will  get  a  team  shod,  and,  unless 
the  horse  becomes  lame,  will  permit  the  shoes  to  remain  on 
until  they  grow  off. 

If  the  horse  has  a  round  foot  and  the  shoe  was  fitted 
close  all  around,  in  four  or  five  weeks  the  shoe  will  have 
been  carried  forward  by  the  growth  of  hoof,  so  that  one  or 
both  of  the  heels  will  be  off  the  wall,  and  in  a  short  time 
corns  will  be  produced.  Now,  if  the  owner  would  take  his 
horse  to  the  shop  on  some  fixed  date  every  month,  instead 
of  leaving  the  shoes  on  from  seven  to  twenty  w£eks,  horses 


172 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


would  have  fewer  corns.  In  shoeing- 1  prefer  a  wide  heel 
and  mule  the  heels  of  the  forward  shoes  whether  they  have 
corns  or  not,  on  horses  that  have  flat  feet. 

For  interfering-,  level  the  foot  and  fit  the  shoe  all  around 
close.  Then  mule  the  inside  heel  slightly.  In  winter  it  is 
a  g-ood  plan  to  turn  the  outside  heel-calk,  as  it  keeps  the 
foot  out  of  the  trough  of  the  road. 

For  overreaching*  I  have  the  best  success  shoeing  with 
long  shoes  all  around.  Let  the  heels  of  the  forward  shoes 
stick  out  an  inch  and  the  hind  shoes  three-quarters  of  an 
inch.  As  the  forward  foot  raises  the  long  shoe  will  raise 
enough  so  the  hind  foot  will  pass  under,  while  with  a  short 
one  the  shoe  will  raise  just  enough  for  the  hind  shoe  to  hit 
the  heels,  causing-  a  disagreeable  clicking.  I  can  do  better 
and  quicker  work  with  knife  and  rasp  than  with  butteris. 

If  the  foot  is  grown  out  very  long  I  take  the  cutting  pli- 
ers and  nip  the  hoof  off  from  quarters  to  toe.  This  insures 
the  removal  of  the  stubs  of  nails,  and  with  a  sharp  knife 
and  rasp,  the  foot  is  soon  ready.  I  practice  cold  fitting-, 
although  I  do  not  think  a  thick  shelled  foot  is  injured  by 
touching  it  with  a  red  hot  shoe  that  was  previously  fitted. 

A  thin-shelled  foot  I  never  press  with  a  hot  shoe.  I  was 
taught  to  wTeld  toe-calks  on  shoes  first  and  heel  up  after- 
wards, but  I  practice  heeling  shoes  first  and  put  on  the  toe- 
calk  when  ready  to  use  the  shoe.  If  yon  toe  last  there  will 
be  heat  enough  in  the  shoe  after  welding  the  calk  to  fit  the 
shoe.  I  let  the  heels,  which  are  nearly  cold,  drop  on  the 
wall  of  the  foot  and  hold  the  toe,  which  is  red  hot,  an  inch 
away  from  the  foot  while  fitting.  After  the  shoe  is  fitted  and 
level,  harden  the  toe  and  nail  on.  I  know  a  great  many 
advocate  heating  a  shoe  red  hot  after  the  foot  is  prepared 
and  the  shoe  fitted  and  press  the  foot  for  an  instant  with 
the  hot  shoe.  But  all  the  advantage  they  claim  is  an  equal 
bearing  and  that  the  shoe  will  be  less  liable  to  come  off. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


173 


Now  I  can  with  knife  and  rasp  get  as  good  a  bearing*,  and 
with  a  good  nail  fasten  the  shoe  so  that  it  will  stay  longer 
than  it  ought. — By  J.  W.  Nichols. 

Shoeing  for  Interfering. 

My  way  of  shoeing  a  horse  that  interferes  in  front  at  the 
toe,  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration,  Fig.  95.  I 
take  a  piece  £-inch  steel  and  make  a  pair  of  shoes  to  fit  the 
feet,  making  the  outer  side  the  heaviest  in  the  web,  but 


Fig.  95— A  Shoe  for  Interfering  Horses,  as  Made  by  "  C.  H.  M." 

allowing  the  shoe  to  be  no  heavier  on  the  inner  side.  I  use 
two  nails  on  the  inner  side,  two  at  the  toe,  and  four  on  the 
outer  side,  and  I  take  care  to  fit  the  toe  nicely.— By  C.  H.  M. 

Shoeing  to   Prevent  Interfering. 

My  experience  is  that  all  horses  that  interfere  are  not 
cured  by  the  same  shoeing.  Turning  the  ankle  in  or  out, 
as  most  smiths  are  in  the  habit  of  doing,  has  different 


174 


THEt  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


effects  upon  different  horses.  The  result  depends  entirely 
upon  the  action  of  the  animal  and  the  manner  of  striking*. 
My  method  in  most  cases  is  to  pare  the  foot  to  the  shape 
given  it  by  nature  as  nearly  as  possible.  Then  I  fit  the 
shoes,  rights  and  lefts,  leaving-  the  inside  of  the  shoe 
straighter  than  the  wall  of  the  foot. 

If  the  season  of  the  year  is  such  that  the  ground  is  icy, 


Fig.  96— A  Shoe  Made  by  "R  A.  M."  for  Interfering  Horses. 

I  turn  the  outside  instead  of  the  inside  calks,  as  the  snow 
path  is  always  deepest  in  the  middle.  For  this  reason  the 
outside  calks  strike  first  and  so  stop  the  tendency  to  slide 
and  thus  strike  the  other  ankle.  Another  advantage  in 
turning  the  outside  instead  of  the  inside  calk  is  that  the 
horse  is  less  liable  to  injure  himself  by  calking.  I  nail  the 
shoe  to  fit  the  outside  and  toe,  and  fit  both  heels  the  same 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


175 


as  in  shoeing,  unless  the  horse  toes  out.  In  that  case  I 
turn  the  inside  calk  under  more.  I  take  good  care  to  drive 
the  nails  on  the  inside  of  the  foot  high  and  clinch  smooth. 
The  hoof  is  then  rasped  smooth  and  left  a  little  flush  on  the 
shoe.  This  remedy,  I  find,  very  rarely  fails  to  cure. — By 
0.  H.  W. 

Toe-Tips — A  Shoe  for  Interfering  Horses. 

My  way  of  shoeing  a  horse  that  interferes  is  as  follows  : 
I  take  a  very  wide  webbed  shoe,  as  shown  in  the  illustra- 
tion, Fig.  96,  and  cut  it  the  length  I  want  it.  I  then  split 
the  inside  bar  of  the  shoe  from  about  the  corner  of  the  toe 
to  the  heel,  taking  off  about  one-third  the  weight  of  the 
inside  of  the  shoe,  which,  when  properly  put  on,  makes  the 
horse  travel  wider.  I  never  knew  this  shoe  to  fail  in  any 
case.— By  R.  A.  M. 

To  Shoe  an  Overreaching  Horse. 

The  horses  that  overreach  are  our  best  travelers,  if 
properly  shod  and  trained.  If  a  horse  overreaches  badly, 
I  put  on  each  front  foot  from  a  14-  to  a  2-pound  shoe  and  a 
|-pound  shoe  behind,  and  set  them  out  full  in  front  at  the 
toe.  The  shoes  should  all  be  made  good  length  and  wide 
at  the  heel.  I  never  use  any  front  shoes  on  any  horse,  but 
hind  shoes  for  both  hind  and  front  feet,  and  I  make  a  great 
many  shoes. 

When  it  comes  to  horses  that  overreach  I  make  the 
shoes  narrow  and  thick  in  order  to  get  the  weight  in  them. 

This  is  my  reason  for  using  the  heavy  shoe.  It  is  simply 
to  make  the  horse  cany  the  fore  feet  out  of  the  way  of  the 
hind  ones. — By  D.  J.  0. 


176 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


Shoeing  Forging  or  Overreaching  Horses. 

In  shoeing-  a  horse  to  prevent  forging*  or  overreaching, 
I  use  for  the  front  feet  a  toe-weight  shoe  made  as  shown  in 
Fig.  97  of  the  accompanying  illustration  for  Winter  wear, 
and  a  flat  shoe  for  Summer.  I  get  the  weight  chiefly  in 
front  of  the  point  of  the  frog,  and  draw  out  the  quarters 
and  heels  to  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  medium  hind 


Fig  97— Temple's  Method  of  Shoeing  Forging  or  Overreaching  Horses.  A  Shoe  for 

a  Front  Foot. 

shoe.  1  next  weld  on  a  good-sized  toe  calk,  then  take  two 
of  the  next  smaller  size  calks,  heat,  cut  off  one-half  the 
length,  weld  them  on  slanting  about  an  inch  from  the 
point  of  the  heel,  and  round  off  the  heels  ;  this  removes  all 
the  sharp  corners.  In  fitting  I  don't  cut  the  heels  short, 
but  allow  them  to  project  beyond  the  foot  well,  for  these 
shoes  will  tend  to  throw  the  feet  far  ahead,  thus  prevent- 
ing the  horse  from  clicking  and  pulling  them  off, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


177 


In  order  to  open  the  gait  behind  I  make  a  side-weight 
shoe  as  for  a  front  foot  that  interferes,  hut  make  it  of 
lighter  iron  and  extend  it  well  back,  making  the  heels  quite 


Fig.  98 — A  Sitoe  for  the  Hind  Foot. 


stiff  as  shown  in  Fig.  98.  I  put  but  three  nails  on  the 
inside,  starting  the  crease  well  back  of  the  toe  so  that  the 


Fig.  99— Showing  the  Old  Way  of  Welding  Toes  on  Second  hand  Shoes. 

third  nail-hole  will  come  opposite  the  fourth  of  the  out- 
side. This  makes  the  shoe  less  liable  to  break  near  the 
weld  of  the  toe  calk.— By  Temple, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Quarter  Cracks  and  Split  Hoofs. 

A  crack  in  the  hoof  is  always  a  difficult  trouble  for  the 
shoer  to  contend  with  unless  he  has  had  considerable  expe- 
rience in  this  direction.  In  this  chapter  is  presented  a  va- 
riety of  methods  of  treatment  both  for  quarter  cracks  and 
split  hoofs. 

To  Cure  Quarter  Cracks. 

Quarter  cracks  are  longitudinal  fissures  in  the  hoof  near 
the  heel.  They  are  generally  caused  by  improper  shoeing 
or  neglect  of  the  foot,  or  by  allowing  the  horse  to  stand  on 
hard  floors  for  a  length  of  time,  or  by  the  overgrowth  of  the 
crust,  or  when  by  the  paring  away  of  the  frog,  sole  and  bars, 
the  heel  has  been  weakened,  or  by  the  burning  of  the  feet 
in  shoeing,  or  the  springing  of  the  shoe  at  the  heels  which 
then  throws  the  weight  of  the  horse  on  the  wings  or  quar- 
ter of  the  coffin  bone  and  causes  the  hoof  to  become  dry  and 
brittle. 

All  these  things  produce  a  disposition  in  the  hoof  to  con- 
tract and  when  this  occurs  at  a  time  when  it  is  dry  and  in- 
flexible it  results  in  lesion  or  splitting. 

In  speedy  horses  where  the  heels  are  allowed  to  grow  too 
high,  the  crust  loses  its  elastic  toughness  and  becomes 
hard  and  thickened  and  there  is  a  liability  that  the  repeat- 
ed shock  of  alighting  on  the  heel  while  in  violent  action  will 
burst  the  quarters — the  break  occurring  where  the  stress 
falls  heaviest,  back  of  the  heel  or  at  one  or  both  sides. 

In  paring*  a  foot  of  this  kind  reduce  the  crust,  especially 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


at  the  heel,  as  much  as  it  can  be  without  injuring  the  foot. 
The  contracting-  tendency  in  the  hoof  must  be  removed  by 
rasping  at  the  quarters  until  serum  appears,  after  which 
the  crack  should  be  opened  on  both  sides  with  a  drawing 
knife  or  farrier's  knife,  so  chat  friction  of  the  fractured 
parts  maybe  avoided.  Then  rasp  or  cut  out  the  bottom 
of  the  quarter  that  is  cracked  so  that  no  part  of  it  may  bear 


Fig.  94— Showing  the  Shoe  to  be  Used  when  the  Crack  is  on  One  Side  Only. 

upon  the  shoes.  After  the  wall  has  been  lowered,  should 
the  frog  project  below  the  bottom  of  the  foot,  pare  it  flat. 
By  so  doing  the  frog  will  be  aided  in  growing  wider  and 
will  assist  the  foot  in  expanding. 

When  the  crack  occurs  well  back  at  the  heels  I  some- 
times find  it  necessary  to  protect  the  weak  part  from  con- 
cussion by  applying  the  bar  shoe.  Commence  thinning  the 
shoe  at  the  center  of  the  quarters  carrying  it  off  both  to- 


18o 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


ward  the  heel  and  toward  the  toe,  making-  the  shoe  light 
and  the  bar  wide  so  as  to  obtain  a  strong  frog  pressure. 

When  cracks  occur  opposite  the  wings  of  the  coffin-bone, 
level  the  foot  and  shorten  the  toe  as  much  as  it  can  be  con- 
veniently. If  the  crack  occurs  on  one  side  only  use  the 
shoe  shown  in  Fig-.  94,  of  the  accompanying  illustrations. 


Fig.  95— Showing  the  Shoe  Used  when  the  Toe- and  Heel  Calks  are  Required, 

If  the  cracks  happen  on  both  sides,  shoe  with  a  three- 
quarter  tip,  and  file  or  rasp  the  wall  on  both  sides  of  the 
crack  from  the  coronet  to  the  ground  surface  as  thin  as 
safety  will  permit.  If  toe  and  heel  calkins  are  required,  ap- 
ply the  shoe  shown  in  Fig.  95,  which  is  well  rolled  on  the 
ground  surface.    If  the  foot  be  sore  and  tender  I  use  meat 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


181 


fryj UgS  or  salty  lard,  applying  it  over  the  hoof  and  sole. 
This  will  soften  the  wall  or  crest  and  will  also  strengthen 
the  hoof.  The  lard  should  be  applied  every  day.  The  new 
growth  may  also  he  stimulated  by  keeping*  the  hoof  moist 
with  cold  water  banclag*es  at  night  or  when  the  animal  is 
not  in  use,  until  the  soreness  is  gone.  .Remove  the  shoe 
every  three  weeks  in  order  to  prevent  an  excessive  growth 
of  hoof. 

By  following  these  directions  this  form  of  disease  may  be 
easily  and  permanently  cured.    The  time  required  to  effect 


Fig.  96— Side  View  Showing  a  Crack  Opposite  the  Wings  of  the  Coffin  Bone. 

a  cure  is  generally  six  months.  The  improvement  com- 
mences at  the  top  of  the  hoof  and  goes  downward.  In 
dressing  the  crack  treat  it  as  you  would  a  crack  in  your 
hands.  Cut  the  corners  off  next  to  the  crack.  The  shoe 
shown  in  Fig.  94  is  well  beveled  at  the  toe  and  cut  o(T  for- 
ward of  the  seat  of  lameness  at  A.  Fig.  96  is  a  side  view  of 
a  foot  with  the  crack  opposite  the  wings  of  the  coffin-bone 


182 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


A.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  toe  is  well  rolled  or  bev- 
eled, and  that  the  heel  is  properly  cut  for  the  bearing-  at 
the  quarters.—  By  W.  C.  Robinson. 

Practical  Observations  on  Horseshoeing. 

Weak  quarters  and  quarter  cracks  in  horses'  hoofs  are  a 
source  of  trouble  and  annoyance  to  a  great  many  horse 
owners.  Some  horses  can  be  partially  cured  of  these  ail- 
ments, while  others  are  incurable.  The  owner  of  a  horse 
is,  of  course,  always  desirous  of  using  him  if  possible,  and 
when  a  horse  cannot  be  cured,  the  next  thing  to  consider  is 
how  to  ease  the  pain  as  much  as  possible.  The  following- 
description  of  shoes,  Fig.  97,  has  been  proven  in  practice 
to  answer  a  very  good  purpose  :  Select  a  shoe  of  the  right 


Fig.  97— Shows  "  C,  S.'s 11  form  of  Shoe  for  Quarter  Cracks. 


size,  thin  down  the  side  where  the  difficulty  exists,  and 
weld  on  a  side  calk  forward  of  the  weak  spot  or  crack. 
Bend  down  the  thin  portion  of  the  shoe  back  of  the  side 
calk.    The  leverage  between  the  side  calk  and  the  toe  is 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


183 


short,  hence  there  will  be  no  spring".  The  heel  of  the  shoe 
being-  thin,  and  projecting  back  of  the  side  calk,  becomes  a 
protection  to  that  part  of  the  foot  against  stones,  and  pre- 
vents bruising.  The  heel,  not  touching  the  metal,  does  not 
receive  the  jar  when  the  foot  comes  down,  and  the  internal 
mechanism  of  this  portion  of  the  foot  is  protected,  I  don't 
advise  any  smith  to  use  this  kind  of  a  shoe  till  convinced 
by  thorough  examination  of  its  merits.  Then  go  ahead.  It 
is  noticeable  in  horseshoeing  that  a  good  hammerman  is 
often  a  poor  fitter.  .  A  smith  with  bungling  movements 
oftentimes  turns  out  the  finest  work. — By  0.  S. 

Treatment  of  Quarter  Crack. 

My  treatment  of  quarter  crack  is  as  follows  :  I  take  a 
thin  piece  of  steel  and  draw  one  edge  sharp ;  heat  it  to  a 
white  heat  and  make  a  cross-cut  long  enough  to  be  sure 
that  the  crack  will  not  extend  around  it ;  have  it  in  a  line 
with  the  shape  of  the  crack  between  the  hoof  and  the  hair. 
The  hot  steel  will  sear  it  so  that  the  foot  will  not  bleed. 
Keep  the  hoof  growing  with  some  kind  of  hoof  ointment. 
When  it  grows  down,  as  it  will  in  a  few  months,  the  quarter 
crack  will  be  cured.  I  have  cured  a  great  many  horses  in 
this  way.— -By  F.  T.  M. 

Treating  Quarter  Cracks. 

The  first  thing  I  do  in  quarter  crack  is  to  clean  out  the 
fissure  as  well  as  possible,  but  without  cutting  away  any  of 
the  hoof.  Next  I  cut  about  three-fourths,  or  an  inch  above 
the  bottom  of  the  hoof,  a  little  notch  about  three-fourths  of 
an  inch  from  the  crack  on  each  side,  and  then  with  a  brad- 
awl drill  holes  to  meet  across  the  crack,  as  deep  as  is  safe, 
insert  a  good  strong  rivet,  say  i  inch,  or  a  little  less  and  draw 
up  tight.  I  then  put  in  another,  above,  lighter  of  course,  as 


184 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOES. 


the  judgment  directs.  I  shoe  the  horse  as  usual  except  that 
the  shoe  must  be  heavy  enough  to  prevent  springing,  and 
be  well  fitted  to  the  foot,  and  the  quarter  or  heel  that  is 
broken  loose  must  be  pared  off  so  that  it  will  bear  very 
little  if  any  of  the  shoe.  I  then  take  a  |-inch  chisel,  drive 
it  through  a  piece  of  shoe  leather  so  the  sharp  edge  will 
project  about  ^  or  {\  of  an  inch,  place  the  edge  of  the  chisel 
just  at  the  edge  of  the  hair,  where  the  new  hoof  begins  to 
form,  and  square  across  the  crack,  and  give  it  a  tap  with 
the  hammer  enough  to  start  the  blood  nicely.  After  that 
I  see  that  the  shoeing  is  not  neglected  and  that  it  is  kept 
well  riveted. 

I  have  treated  a  number  of  cases  in  this  way,  and  have 
never  yet  failed  to  effect  a  cure  as  soon  as  the  hoof  could 
grow  down. 

With  regard  to  forcing  the  growth  of  the  hoof  with  oint- 
ments, etc.,  I  seldom  recommend  it  in  case  of  quarter 
cracks,  as  I  think  the  hoof  is  weakened  by  forced  or  unnat- 
ural growth. — By  F.  W.  S. 

Shoeing  Horses  with  Quarter  Cracks. 

It  is  a  very  eas}7  matter  to  cure  a  foot  with  a  quarter 
crack,  and  work  the  horse  every  day.  My  plan  is  as  fol- 
lows:  I  put  on  a  bar  shoe  first;  I  then  pare  and  fit  the 
foot,  and  then  rasp  the  quarter  away  so  that  when  the  shoe 
is  on  it  will  not  touch  the  quarter  when  the  horse's  weight 
is  upon  it.  I  then  take  a  piece  of  steel  and  draw  it  to  a 
sharp  edge,  like  a  lance,  and  with  it  I  burn  the  top  of  the 
crack  in  the  edge  of  the  hair.  I  take  care  that  it  is  burned 
to  the  quick.  This  done  I  apply  some  tar,  or  good  hoof 
ointment,  to  take  away  the  soreness  and  to  prevent  taking 
cold  in  the  foot.  When  the  shoe  has  been  on  long  enough 
to  allow  the  quarter  to  grow  down  so  that  it  touches  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


185 


shoe,  it  is  necessary  to  dress  it  again  and  reset  the  shoe.  I 
take  care  not  to  let  the  quarter  touch  the  shoe  until  it  has 
grown  down.  Accordingly,  some  preparation  to  stimulate 
growth  is  desirable.  For  this  purpose  I  prepare  a  hoof 
ointment  which  has  proved  to  be  very  valuable.  With  it  I 
am  able  to  overcome  the  worst  crack  I  have  ever  seen,  in 
the  space  of  four  months'  time,  and  that  without  the  horse 
limping  at  all  after  the  first  shoeing.  I  commenced  shoeing 
when  I  was  but  twelve  years  old,  and  in  my  time  have 
worked  in  a  great  many  different  shops.  I  sometimes  think  I 
would  rather  have  horses  with  quarter  cracks,  or  lame, 
come  to  my  shop,  than  those  that  are  sound,  for  I  know  by 
experience  that  when  I  get  one  of  the  former,  I  am  sure  to 
give  satisfaction  to  the  owner. — By  G.  E.  R. 

Curing  a  Split  Foot. 

My  way  of  curing  a  split  hoof  is  to  level  the  foot,  making 
the  heels  as  low  as  possible,  and  the  sole  moderately  thin. 
I  then  cut  a  groove  in  the  bottom  of  the  crust  of  the  toe, 
make  a  bar  shoe,  and  let  the  bar  rest  on  the  frog  so  as  to 
get  a  strong  frog  pressure.  I  set  the  toe  well  back  on  the 
shoe  so  as  to  get  the  pressure  off  the  toe,  and  make  the  toe 
on  the  shoe  long  to  secure  a  wide  bearing.  I  use  plenty  of 
nails,  but  put  them  well  back  from  the  toe.  The  shoe  is 
made  rather  large,  and  is  wide  at  the  heels.  I  take  as 
much  pressure  off  the  toe  as  possible,  keep  the  crack  clean, 
and  keep  plenty  of  pine  tar  on  the  sole  and  wall  of  the  foot. 
The  shoes  are  kept  on  as  long  as  possible.  They  should  not 
be  set,  but  should  be  tightened  when  necessary  to  keep 
them  from  getting  loose. 

An  old  smith  came  into  my  shop  the  other  day,  and  af- 
ter watching  me  as  I  cooled  off  a  shoe  to  fit  it,  said  I  never 
would  make  a  horseshoer  in  my  life,  because  no  man  who 


186 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


did  not  burn  the  foot  could  get  a  level  bearing.  I  asked 
him  if  he  had  ever  dissected  a  horse's  foot  to  see  what  it  was 
composed  of,  and  he  said  common  sense  would  teach  any 
man  what  it  was — it  was  composed  of  hoof,  of  course. 
That  is  just  about  as  much  as  some  smiths  know. — By  W. 
A.  Glazier. 

Shoeing  a  Split  Foot. 

In  shoeing-  a  split  foot,  .my  plan  is  to  take  a  shoe  of  the 
size  of  the  foot  and  weld  a  piece  from  calk  to  calk  and  weld 
clips  on  the  shoe  in  three  different  places— one  at  the  toe, 
and  one  at  each  side  of  the  shoe  as  shown  in  the  accompany- 


Fig.  98— u  J.  P.  A.'s  "  Method  of  Shoeing  a  Split  Foot. 


ing  illustration,  Fig.  98.  After  driving  two  heel  nails  on 
each  side  I  close  carefully  the  clips  on  the  side  of  the  shoes. 
They  should  fit  closely  against  the  hoof  at  the  bottom  and 
should  be  sunk  in,  on  a  level  with  the  outside  surface  of  the 
hoof,  and  when  they  are  closed  neatly  to  the  side  of  the 
hoof,  you  will  find  that  the  crack  will  close  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, but  the  shoe  should  be  smaller  than  the  foot  in  order 
to  fit  it  after  the  crack  is  closed.  Drive  your  other  nails, 
then  draw  in  your  toe  clevis,  and  file  with  your  rasp  a  nick 
across  the  split.  Make  a  deep  notch  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  crack,  and  down  to  the  bottom.  It  will  split  no  farther, 
and  if  the  shoe  is  kept  on  all  the  time  will  finally  grow  to- 
gether.—!?^ J.  P.  A. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


187 


Shoeing  a  Split  Foot. 

I  would  like  to  give  my  way  of  shoeing-  for  toe  cracks. 
Last  Summer  one  of  my  customers  came  to  my  shop  with  a 
valuable  horse  walking  on  three  legs — I  mean  that  the 
horse  walked  on  three  legs,  not  the  customer.  I  found 
that  the  right  front  foot  was  split  from  the  coronet  casing 
down  to  the  bottom  of  the  foot.  The  shell  was  in  two 
pieces  like  an  ox's  foot,  and  blood  was  running  out  of  it  in 
streams.  The  man  had  been  plowing,  and  in  turning  the 
horse  had  stepped  with  his  left  foot  on  the  inside  wing  of 
the  right  shoe,  thereby,  tearing  the  foot  apart.    I  went  to 


Fig.  99— A  Device  of  " C.  N.  S."  for  Shoeing  a  Split  Foot. 

work  and  made  two  pieces  of  iron,  as  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying illustration,  Fig.  99,  and  fastened  one  on  each  side 
of  the  crack,  and  then  put  a  three-sixteenth  inch  tire-bolt 
through  it  and  tightened  it  together.  I  then  took  a  five- 
eighth  chisel  and  cut  a  gash  crosswise  on  the  top.  The 
foot  is  now  in  good  condition.  The  pieces  A  A,  in  the  illus- 
tration, are  two  little  hooks  to  be  burnt  into  the  foot,  B  B 
are  little  screws,  and  C  is  a  tire-bolt. — By  C.  N.  S. 

Shoeing  a  Cracked  Hoof — Shoeing  Hoof-bound  Horses 
—  Making  Calks. 

My  way  of  shoeing  a  cracked  hoof  is  to  drive  one  or  two 
brass  nails  through  the  crack,  as  shown  in  Fig.  100,  and 
clinch  on  either  side  well  to  hold  the  crack  together. 

For  hoof-bound  horses  I  use  a  light  shoe  and  drive  it  out 


188 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


well  at  the  heels.  I  do  not  pare  the  bars  or  sole  more  than 
just  enough  for  a  seat  for  the  shoe  to  let  the  sole  and  frog- 
come  as  low  to  the  ground  as  possible  when  the  horse  steps 
on  it.  I  make  the  shoe  wide  at  the  heels.  I  do  not  often 
put  calks  on  the  shoes.  For  a  common  shoe  I  make  the 
calks  as  follows  : 

I  take  old  sickle  sections,  cut  them  in  the  shape  shown  in 
Fig.  101,  and  the  same  size  as  calks,  except  that  they  are 


a  little  longer;  then  drive  them  in  the  shoe  at  the  side  of 
the  calk,  as  shown  in  Fig.  102,  and  weld  them  on  well. 
They  are  sure  to  wear  sharp. — By  Geo.  Kindschi. 


The  horse's  hoof  is  so  constructed  that  any  exertion  may 
be  best  carried  on  by  a  certain  amount  of  elasticity  from 
the  quarters  to  the  point  of  the  toe.  Should,  however,  the 
natural  condition  of  the  foot  be  altered,  by  it  being  deprived 
of  sufficient  moisture  to  preserve  in  it  the  required  degree 
of  toughness  and  flexibility,  the  foot  loses  its  power  to 


Fig.  100  - Geo.  Kindschi's  Method  of  Shoeing  a  Cracked  Hoof. 


How  to  Shoe  a  Split  Foot. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


189 


yield  to  pressure  and  return  to  its  shape,  and  when  force 
sufficient  to  overcome  its  resistance  is  exerted,  the  hoof,  no 
longer  elastic,  suddenly  gives  away  by  splitting-.  This 
occurs  wherever  the  strain  is  the  greatest ;  at  either  of  the 
sides  from  the  quarters  to  the  heel,  or  directly  through  the 


Fig.  101— Showing  an  Improved  Calk  as  made  by  Mr.  Kindschi. 

middle  of  the  hoof  in  front.  The  conditions  generally  pi^es- 
ent,  then,  in  a  split  hoof,  are  a  hardness,  dryness  and  brit- 
tleness,  and  they  may  arise  from  various  causes.  For 
examples  :  Hot  fitting  of  shoes  ;  clipping ;  high  toes  and 
heels  on  shoes  which  prevent  the  frog  from  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  ground  ;  high  heels  on  the  foot  or  shoe  ;  flat 
feet  and  long  toes  on  draught  horses  ;  the  paring-  away  of 
the  frog,  sole,  bars  or  heel,  whereby  the  foot  becomes  con- 
tracted, are  all  liable  to  result  in  the  splitting  of  the  hoof. 

Feet  in  this  state  are  exposed  to  fracture  either  on  their 
anterior  or  their  lateral  surfaces  ;  with  these  conditions  toe- 
crack  is  produced  by  the  foot  acquiring  an  uneven  ground 
surface,  and  being  thrown  into  an  unnatural  or  forced  posi- 


Fig.  103— Showing  the  Method  of  using  the  Piece  shown  in  Fig.  101. 

fcion.    If  the  heel  of  the  foot,  through  ignorance  or  neglect, 
is  suffered  to  grow  to  an  unusual  height,  the  pressure  and 
thrust  of  the  coffin-bone  against  the  comparatively  thin 
crust,  will  almost  always  result  in  a  fracture  in  front. 
A  peculiar  accident  to  which  horses  are  sometimes  liable 


190 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


will,  also,  produce  the  same  result.  When  a  horse  shod 
with  heel  calkins  overreaches  himself,  that  is,  treads  on  his 
hoof  with  another  foot  and  bruises  the  coronet  or  crust,  the 
crease  thus  made  often  extends  itself  until  the  crust  is 
entirely  split. 

Toe  cracks  generally  attack  the  feet  of  heavy  draught 
horses.  This  is  doubtless  owing-  to  the  careless  method  of 
applying  their  shoes,  as  well  as  to  the  fact  that  in  drawing 
heavy  loads  a  greater  stress  is  placed  upon  their  toes  than 


Fig.  103 -Showing  How  the  Groove  is  Cut  at  the  Toe  in  Shoeing  for  Split  Hoof. 

upon  those  of  other  horses.  In  treating  this  disease  the 
first  care  must  be  to  thoroughly  cleanse  the  foot,  after 
which  the  crack  must  be  pared  out  smoothly  on  either  side 
of  the  crack  as  deep  as  the  horny  substance  extends,  thus 
widening  the  crevice  so  as  to  prevent  all  friction  between 
the  separated  parts  of  the  wall.  Pressure  must  be  taken 
entirety  off  the  toe,  and  a  groove,  as  shown  in  Fig.  103  of 
the  accompanying  illustrations,  should  be  cut  into  the  bot- 
tom of  the  crust  at  the  toe. 
Having  done  this,  if  the  foot  be  contracted  at  the  heel. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


191 


pare  it  to  a  level.  The  toe  of  the  foot  is  then  in  turn  to  be 
shortened  and  the  heel  weakened  by  paring*  out  the  commis- 
sures between  the  bars  and  frog-  as  much  as  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  farrier  the  foot  can  safety  bear.  The  shoe  rep- 
resented in  Fig.  104  should  be  used  upon  horses  intended 
for  draught  purposes,  the  nails  being*  placed  from  the 
front  of  the  quarters  toward  the  heel. 

The  toe  calkin  being  placed  well  back  from  the  toe,  light- 
ens the  stress  at  the  point  where  its  weakness  is  the  great- 


Fig.  104 —A  Shoe  Suitable  for  Draught  Horses. 


est,  and  allows  an  easier  play  of  the  foot  when  in  motion. 
When  the  split  occurs  in  the  foot  of  a  horse  used  for  general 
business  work,  lower  the  heel  and  shorten  the  toe  as  much 
as  safety  will  permit  and  thin  the  heel  of  the  shoe  to  obtain 
strong  frog  pressure,  removing  the  pressure  around  the  toe 
of  the  foot  as  before  directed., — By  W.  O.  Robinson. 

Curing  a  Split  Hoof. 

I  give  herewith  a  simple  way  of  curing  a  split  hoof. 

In  commencing  the  job,  I  make  an  awl  two  and  one-half 


192 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


inches  long-  and  as  large  as  a  No.  6  or  7  nail.  I  make  it 
oval,  with  a  sharp  point  and  sharp  edges  on  the  point  and 
do  not  temper  it  because  the  horse  may  jump  and  break  it. 
I  put  it  in  a  handle  four  or  five  inches  long  and  bore  a  hole 


with  it  as  high  up  on  the  hoof  as  possible.  I  begin  a  half 
or  a  quarter  of  an  inch  from  the  split  and  bore  as  deep  as 
the  horse  will  stand.  I  bore  the  hole  to  the  split  or  crack 
large  enough  to  take  the  nail  without  much  driving.  I 
then  make  a  nail  of  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  105  of  the  illus- 
trations presented  herewith.  I  then  squirt  oil  in  the  hole, 
drive  the  nail  through  the  other  side  of  the  split  and  clinch 


it.  I  sometimes  put  in  three  nails,  one  above  the  other,  and 
sometimes,  if  the  foot  is  sore  or  tender,  I  bore  the  holes  on 
both  sides,  and  after  the  nail  or  nails  are  in  I  let  the  helper 
hold  up  the  other  foot  and  hold  a  thin  hot  iron  across  the 


A 


Fig.  105— Nail  for  a  Split  Hoof. 


Fig.  10G— Showing  How  the  Nails  are  Placed. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


193 


crack  at  the  edge  of  the  hair  until  the  horse  feels  it  and  gets 
uneasy  ;  then  the  job  is  done.  The  shoe  must  be  kept 
tight,  and  a§  the  foot  grows  down  other  nails  must  be  put 
in,  if  it  is  necessary.  I  have  never  failed  to  cure  when  the 
horse  was  brought  to  my  shop  often  enough  for  the  foot  to 
grow  down.  It  makes  no  difference  whether  the  crack  is  in 
the  center  or  the  front  or  in  the  quarters  near  the  heel. 
The  cure  is  certain  in  any  case.  But  the  nails  should  not 
be  made  too  large.  Fig.  106  shows  how  the  nails  are 
placed. — By  C.  H. 

Shoeing  Split  Hoofs. 

I  have  had  a  good  deal  of  experience  with  cracked  hoofs, 
and  have  tried  a  good  many  methods.  My  favorite  one  is 
a  clamp  shoe  in  which  the  clamps  are  welded  to  either  side 
of  a  ring  shoe  in  order  to  come  over  the  front  of  the  foot, 
with  ease,  so  that  a  bolt  can  be  used. 

I  have  tried  the  plan  of  screwing  on  over  the  crack  but  it 
failed.  The  best  and  only  safe  plan  that  I  have  found  is  to 
drive  a  good  light  horse  nail  through  the  crack  and  draw 
it  up  occasional! y.  I  have  never  failed  by  this  method, 
Sometimes  I  have  put  as  many  as  three  nails  in  one  hoof. 
Quarter  cracks  are  much  harder  to  cure  than  a  front  one, 
for  they  so  often  lap.  I  use  a  ring  shoe  for  a  quarter  crack 
and  cut  away  the  quarter  so  it  does  not  rest  on  the  shoe. 
This  keeps  the  crack  from  spreading  while  the  horse 
is  traveling.  Sometimes  for  bad  cracks  I  calk  at  the  edge 
of  the  hair.-J5y  C.  E.  C. 

Curing  a  Split  Hoof. 

My  plan  for  curing  a  split  hoof  can  be  explained  in  a  few 
words.  It  is  to  Aveld  on  each  side  of  the  shoe,  near 
the  heel,  a  piece  of  iron  of  sufficient  length  to  come  up  over 


194 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


the  foot  a  little  more  than  half  way  to  the  hair.  Then  I 
make  a  hole  in  the  ends  to  put  a  small  bolt  through.    I  al- 


Fig.  107— "  E.'s  "  Device  for  Caring  a  Split  Hoof. 


ways  use  a  good  solid  shoe.  The  straps  should  be  light 
enough  to  bend  readity.  The  length  can  be  taken  with  a 
piece  of  paper.    The  accompanying  illustration,  Fig.  107, 


Fig.  108— C.  W.  Kohler's  Shoe  for  Interfering  Horses. 

will  give  a  clear  idea  of  my  plan.  Rivets  can  be  used  to 
draw  the  crack  together,  but  in  using  rivets  care  must  be 
taken  to  avoid  going  too  deep.— By  R, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


195 


Shoeing  for  Interfering,  and  for  Split  Feet. 

Fig.  108,  of  the  accompanying-  illustrations,  represents  a 
pair  of  shoes  intended  to  prevent  a  horse  from  knocking-  its 
knees  or  interfering-  in  front. 

First  level  the  feet,  then  make  the  shoes  twice  as  heavy 
on  the  inside  as  on  the  outside  hut  of  even  thickness.  Then 
fit  the  shoes  to  the  feet  and  don't  cut  anything-  off  the  in- 
side wall. 

Fig-.  109  represents  my  method  of  shoeing  a  split  foot. 


Fig.  109— Showing  C.  W.  Kohler's  Method  of  Shoeing  a  Split  Foot. 

Clip  the  shoe  on  each  side  near  the  front,  trim  the  sole  very 
thin  at  the  crack  and  cut  out  the  wall  as  shown  in  the  il- 
lustration so  that  the  shoe  won't  bear  on  the  crack.— By 
Chas.  W.  Kohler. 

Shoeing  a  Split  Foot. 

My  way  of  shoeing  a  split  foot  is  to  first  remove  all  the 
dirt  from  it,  then  drive  a  nail  through  the  hoof  about  one 
and  a  half  inches  on  each  side  of  the  split,  then  bend  the 
head  up,  and  put  a  piece  of  wire  (I  use  hay  bale  wire)  twice 


196 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


around  the  nail.  If  the  wire  proves  to  be  a  little  too  long 
take  it  off,  twist  it  until  it  is  short  enough,  then  pat  it  on 
and  hammer  the  nail  head  back  toward  the  point  of  the  nail. 


Having  in  this  way  drawn  the  split  firmly  together,  as  m 
the  illustration,  Fig.  110, 1  fire  the  hoof  and  itw  ill  then  grow 
out.  This  method  has  never  failed.  After  firing  use  some 
healing  ointment.— By  "  Subscriber." 


My  way  of  shoeing  a  split  foot  is  to  make  a  shoe  with 
clips  from  the  hind  quarter  rim  to  the  front  and  close 
enough  for  a  three-inch  bolt  to  join  them.  I  then  make  in 
each  clip  a  hole  large  enough  for  a  half-inch  bolt,  and  then 
pare  the  hoof  and  with  the  edge  of  a  rasp  file  a  notch  about 
two  inches  long  across  the  hoof  and  just  where  the  bolt 
crosses.  This  notch  is  cut  into  with  a  knife  until  it  bleeds 
and  the  bolt  is  then  put  in  and  drawn  as  tightly  as  the 
horse  can  bear,  see  Fig.  111.    Twice  a  week  tighten,  draw- 


Fig.  110— Method  of  Shoeing  a  Split  Hoot 


Shoeing  a  Split  Hoof. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


197 


ing  the  bolt  a  little  tighter  than  it  was  before.  Keep  this 
shoe  on  until  the  crack  grows  half  the  way  down  and  then 
put  on  an  ordinary  shoe. 


Fig.  Ill— Device  for  Shoeing  a  Split  Hoof. 


This  plan  has  cured  every  case  I  have  ever  treated. — By 
H.  T.  Gall. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


SHOEING  KNEE-SPRUNG,  FLAT-FOOTED  OR 
CLUB-FOOTED  HORSES,  ETC. 

Shoeing  a  Knee-sprung  or  Flat-footed  Horse. 

In  the  case  of  a  horse  knee-sprung  from  a  recent  strain 
on  the  back  cords,  I  find  it  well  to  leave  the  heel  of  the  foot 
high,  and  put  on  quite  a  long  shoe,  as  that  helps  to  relieve 
the  cords. 

I  will  also  give  my  method  of  shoeing  flat-footed  horses. 
A  flat  foot,  as  every  farrier  knows,  does  not  need  much  par- 
ing on  the  bottom  ;  some,  in  fact,  will  bear  hardly  enough 
to  even  them  up,  the  growth  being  straight  out  on  the  toe, 
and  with  some  the  bottom  of  the  foot  is  very  thin.  If  such 
a  horse  is  shod  with  a  shoe  the  full  size  of  the  foot,  it  brings 
the  bearing  too  far  from  the  center  of  the  foot,  and  as  the 
horse's  weight  bears  mostly  near  the  center  of  the  foot 
when  it  is  in  shape,  there  is  need  to  get  the  bearing  of  the 
foot  on  the  shoe  back  as  near  to  the  center  as  possible.  In 
preparing  a  flat  foot  for  the  shoe,  I  take  a  sharp  rasp  and 
cut  the  toe  back  as  far  as  I  think  will  do,  and  then  fit  my 
shoe  the  full  size  of  what  foot  I  leave,  giving  the  shoe  as 
even  a  bearing  as  possible.  In  shoeing  this  way  I  have 
helped  some  quite  bad  cases  of  drop  sole.  Any  one  can 
easily  see  that  a  heavy  horse,  with  a  thin  bottom  to  his 
foot,  will  press  the  sole  down  quicker  if  the  bearing  on  the 
shoe  is  too  far  away  from  the  bones  in  the  foot  on  which  his 
weight  comes. — By  C.  West. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


199 


Shoeing  Flat-footed  Horses. 

To  shoe  a  flat-footed  horse,  pare  the  bottom  of  the  foot  as 
little  as  possible  at  the  heel,  just  enough  to  level  the  foot. 
At  the  toe  pare  off  all  surplus  horn  or  hoof ;  avoid  cutting 
the  sole.  In  fitting  use  an  ordinary  front  shoe.  Concave 
it  well  with  an  oval-faced  hammer.  Toe  it  with  a  heavy 
piece  of  steel  according  to  the  size  of  shoe.  Turn  a  good 
solid  heel  and  leave  the  steel  about  one-quarter  or  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  higher  than  the  toe.  Be  particular  in  fit- 
ting the  shoe  to  the  foot.  It  is  very  difficult  to  give  a  def- 
inite rule  for  this  operation,  as  feet  differ.  My  explanation 
that  follows  applies  to  very  flat  feet.  Fit  the  shoe  back  of 
the  foot  and  round  off  what  projects  with  the  rasp.  Some 
feet  are  made  better  by  taking  off  one-half  inch,  giving  a 
good  chance  to  get  a  fair  nail  hold,  bringing  the  heel  well 
around  to  the  frog  in  order  to  cover  the  point  of  horn  at  the 
heel,  with  the  shoe.  This  is  done  to  keep  the  heel  from  set- 
tling down  between  the  ends  of  the  shoe.  This  trouble  is 
always  met  with  in  any  width  shoe,  because  it  causes  too 
much  weight  on  the  quarters  of  the  foot. 

Make  the  shoe  perfectly  level  from  heel  to  toe.  The  foot 
should  be  level,  so  that  when  37ou  lay  on  the  shoe  to  nail 
there  will  be  no  rock  to  it.  Get  as  deep  a  nail  hold  as  pos- 
sible, so  as  not  to  break  the  foot. — By  G. 


Flat-footed  Horses — How  Should  They  be  Shod  ? 

Sometimes  the  bottom  of  the  foot  has  been  cut  away 
until  it  becomes  rounded  like  the  top  of  a  tortoise  shell. 
Such  a  horse  has  large,  flat  feet,  thin  shell,  or  meaty  foot, 
wide  heels,  thin  sole,  and  large  frog,  of  course.  He  should 
be  shod  with  a  wide  web,  thick  shoe,  concaved,  to  make  the 
bearing  come  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  foot  to  protect  the 


£00 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


sole.  (The  owner  must  see  to  it  that  dirt  and  gravel  do  not 
get  lodged  under  the  concavity.)  Now  set  up  calks  to  keep 
the  frog  and  sole  from  stones  and  bruising,  and  we  have 
about  the  method  that  should  be  pursued  in  shoeing  flat 
feet.  Now,  is  anything  the  matter  ?  Yes  ;  the  frog  gets 
no  bearing.    Well,  what  of  that  ?   Why,  the  frog  is  the 


Fig.  112— Method  of  Applying  a  Spring  to  a  Shoe  for  the  Protection  of  the  Frog„ 

cushion  on  which  the  bottom  bone  rests,  and  because  the 
frog  gets  no  ground  bearing,  the  frog  and  sole  are  forced 
down  by  the  weight  of  the  horse  and  the  rim  of  the  foot  is 
forced  up.  This  is  what  causes  the  tortoise-shell  shape 
alluded  to  above.  The  frog  must  have  a  bearing  in  order 
to  prevent  the  foot  bones  from  pushing  through  the  bottom 
of  the  foot.    This  calls  for  the  spring-bar,  which  is  better 


THE  PRACTICAL  KORSESHOER.  201 

than  the  ordinary  bar  shoe  on  account  of  its  elasticity. 
Adjust  the  spring*  so  that  it  will  rest  on  the  frog*  a  little 
before  the  shoe  touches  the  heels.  This  will  give  a  bearing 
on  the  frog  and  keep  the  frog  and  sole  up  to  their  places. 
With  this  arrangement  you  divide  the  bearing*  between  the 
frog  and  the  quarters  as  nearty  in  the  natural  way  as  pos- 
sible. If  a  horse  could  always  rest  a  part  of  his  weight  on 
the  frog,  he  never  would  suffer  with  contracted  quarters, 
flat  or  bulged  soles  or  tender  frog  (with  sufficient  water 
bathing  in  dry  weather  and  while  standing  in  dry  places). 
But,  to  continue  :  Take  a  piece  of  steel  one-thirty-second 
of  an  inch  thick,  cut  out  the  frog  spring*  long  enough  to  put 
into  the  shoe  a  little  forward  of  the  heel,  wTith  sharp  chisel 
punch.  Punch  a  hole  in  the  inner  part  of  each  side  of  the 
shoe  three-eighths  of  an  inch  or  more  deep.  These  holes 
arefor  the  ends  of  the  spring  and  should  be  large  enough 
to  permit  the  spring  to  play  a  little,  both  endways  and  side- 
ways. Cut  the  spring  the  right  length  after  the  shoe  is  fit- 
ted to  the  foot,  then  open  the  shoe  and  put  the  spring  in. 
When  the  frog  bears  on  the  spring*  it  holds  the  frog  and 
sole  and  foot  bones  in  their  places,  and  the  sole,  if  left  alone, 
will  soon  thicken  and  harden  and  admit  of  an  inner  bear- 
ing. The  spring*  should  neither  be  tempered  nor  hardened. 
The  accompanying  engraving,  Fig.  112,  shows  the  spring 
and  the  manner  of  applying. — By  S.  Stone. 

Flat  Feet. 

The  bearing  of  flat  feet,  as  a  general  rule,  keeps  the  sole 
always  on  a  level  with  the  wall  of  the  foot.  Now  since  the 
walls  of  flat  feet  spread  instead  of  growing  straight  down, 
it  follows  that  such  feet  are  alwa.ys  low  enough,  and  no 
paring  can  be  done  in  that  direction  without  endangering 
the  animal. 

To  shoe  them  I  would  first,  with  a  g*ood  pair  of  pinchers, 


202 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


cut  away  the  overgrowth  of  the  hoof  if  there  is  an\r,  then 
simply  level  the  bottom  to  receive  the  shoe.  In  paring*  and 
trimming-  such  feet,  care  should  be  taken  to  alwaj^s  leave 
plenty  of  horn  for  the  shoe  to  rest  on.  It  is  by  trimming 
the  edges  of  the  foot  too  far  in.  in  the  foolish  attempt  to 
make  it  smaller,  that  all  the  mischief  is  done.  You  thereby 
deprive  the  foot  of  all  wall  support,  and  throw  the  whole 


Fig.  113.— Shoe  Made  by  "  J.  E.  M.'1  for  Straightening  a  Crooked  Foot. 

weight  of  the  horse  on  the  soles  of  his  feet,  which  are  now 
higher  than  the  wall,  and  you  must  pare  them  down  to 
bring  them  even  with  the, outer  crust,  making  them  there- 
by very  thin  and  sensitive.  If  the  horse  works  with  such 
feet  it  will  generate  fever  and  diseases,  among  which  is 
drop-sole.  In  this  case,  I  would  recommend  to  put  the 
horse  in  a  pasture  for  about  three  weeks,  and  see  that  his 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


203 


feet  are  kept  moist  and  cool.  To  shoe  him,  if  he  is  not  too 
far  gone,  I  would  level  up  the  seat  of  the  shoe  even  with 
the  sole  with  layers  of  harness  leather,  and  then  nail  the 
shoe,  which  I  would  have  tolerably  wide,  on  top  of  it. — By 
A.  D. 

Shoeing  and  Straightening  a  Crooked  Foot. 

My  way  of  shoeing-  and  straightening'  a  crooked  foot  is 
shown  iti  the  accompairying  illustration,  Fig.  113,  in  which  I 
take  a  mule's  shoe  for  an  example,  because  mules  are  more 
subject  to  crooked  feet  than  are  horses.  With  this  shoe  I 
straightened,  in  six  months,  the  hoof  of  a  mule  that  walked 
on  the  side  of  his  foot.  If  the  ankle  of  the  foot  runs  in,  put 
the  extension  of  the  toe  A  on  the  inside  of  the  shoe.  If  the 
ankle  runs  out  put  A  on  the  outside.  Fit  well  and  tack  on. 
It  may  be  somewhat  troublesome  at  first,  but  the  animal 
will  soon  get  used  to  it,  and  there  is  no  danger  of  interfer- 
ing.—^ J.  E.  M. 

Shoeing  Flat-footed  Horses. 

Some  men  think  that  a  flat-footed  horse  should  always  be 
shod  with  a  bar  shoe.  When  the  foot  is  healthy  I  put  on  a 
plain  shoe,  well  beveled  on  the  side  next  to  the  sole  as  far 
back  as  the  last  nail-hole.  Particular  pains  must  be  taken 
not  to  let  the  shoe  bear  on  the  sole,  for,  if  so,  it  will  be  apt 
to  lame  the  horse. 

I  have  had  many  cases  of  lameness  caused  in  this  man- 
ner, and  cured  them  by  paring  the  sole  a  little  where  the 
shoe  rested . 

If  the  shell  is  chipped  off  on  the  edges  so  that  it  is  not 
level  with  the  sole,  I  place  a  strip  of  leather  under  the  shoe 
all  the  way  around  the  hoof.    This  prevents  the  shoe  from 


204 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


bending-  itself  in  the  shell,  and  allows  the  hoof  to  grow 
down,  so  that,  at  the  next  shoeing*,  there  will  be  a  firmer 
vein  of  horn  on  which  to  nail  the  shoe. — By  Highland. 

Shoeing  a  Crooked  Foot. 

I  will  describe  my  way  of  shoeing  crooked  feet.  I  do  not 
cut  away  the  toe  at  all.  If  the  horse  travels  with  his  feet 
out,  I  begin  at  the  toe  and  gradually  thicken  to  the  heel 
on  the  inside  of  the  foot,  or  I  put  on  a  side  heel  calk,  s^y 
three  to  four  inches  in  length,  with  a  gradual  slope.  By 
so  doing  I  throw  the  inside  of  the  foot  much  higher  than 
the  outside,  I  let  the  toe  calk  have  the  same  slope,  I  raise 
the  inside  according  to  the  crookedness  of  the  foot  and  as 
I  have  no  scale  for  their  height,  use  my  own  judgment.  If 
the  horse  travels  with  his  feet  in,  I  reverse  the  form  of  the 
shoe.  I  have  never  failed  with  this  method.  I  never  cut  a 
foot  to  straighten  it,  for  it  is  not  the  foot  which  needs  treat- 
ment, it  is  the  gait  of  the  animal. 

My  way  of  shoeing  is  to  shoe  as  long  and  as  wide  at  the 
heel  as  the  gait  of  the  animal  will  permit.  I  never  pare 
the  sole  any  more  than  nature  sheds.  The  frog  I  treat  in 
the  same  way. — By  J.  B.  H. 

A  Knee-Sprung  Horse — Thrush. 

My  plan  for  winter  shoeing  of  knee-sprung  horses  is  to 
pare  the  foot  at  the  toe,  as  in  ordinary  shoeing.  Keep  the 
heel  down  rather  low,  and  let  the  shoe  stick  out  over  the 
heel  a  little  more  than  usual. 

For  spring  or  summer,  I  shoe  perfectly  flat,  and  find  that 
then  the  horse  always  goes  well. 

I  had  a  case  of  thrush  last  summer,  and  cured  it  by  the 
following  treatment :  I  poured  kerosene  oil  into  the  frog  of 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


205 


the  foot  twice  a  day,  and  applied  fine  salt  for  two  days,  tak- 
ing- care  to  keep  the  feet  out  of  the  wet  when  the  horse  was 
standing*.  The  cure  was  speedy  and  thorough. — By  Un- 
known. 

Club  Feet. 

Crooked  foot  or  club  foot  is  a  disease  often  neglected  by 
both  the  horse  owner  and  the  shoer.  Colts  are  sometimes 
foaled  with  crooked  feet,  allowed  to  grow  to  three  or  four 


Fig.  114— Shoeing  Club  Feet.   How  the  Hoof  is  Measured. 


years  of  age  without  any  attention,  and  are  consequently 
almost  ruined  for  the  market  and  even  for  general  work. 
Crooked  feet  should  be  attended  to  as  soon  as  the  colt  is  of 
sufficient  strength  to  admit  of  handling.  We  should  look 
after  our  colts'  feet  from  the  time  they  are  by  the  side  of 
the  mother,  until  the}7  arrive  at  the  age  when  it  .becomes 
necessary  to  have  shoes  put  on  their  hoofs. 

Horseshoers,  as  a  general  rule,  neglect  paring  the  feet 
level  and  straight  as  they  should  be  in  every  case,  for  when 


206 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


the  feet  are  crooked  they  are  out  of  balance,  and  this  also 
brings  a  constant  strain  on  the  joints.  Keep  your  horse's 
feet  straight,  of  an  even  length  on  the  sides  and  at  the 
quarters,  and  then  apply  a  shoe  with  an  even  bearing*  on 
the  wall. 

Always  keep  a  pair  of  compasses  in  your  shoeing1  box, 
and  measure  the  hoof  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration, Fig.  114,  from  A  to  B  on  either  side  of  the  toe,  and 


Fig.  115— Showing  the  Tool  Used  by  4'  J.  C."  in  Shoeing. 


from  C  to  D  at  the  quarters,  then  make  a  tool  like  the  one 
shown  in  Fig.  115,  to  indicate  the  degrees  at  which  a  foot 
should  stand,  and  you  will  have  no  trouble  in  balancing  the 
foot  properly.  The  hoof  should  be  set  at  about  54  to  56 
degrees.  This  tool  is  made  of  three  pieces  of  iron  riveted 
together  as  follows  :  Front,  4  inches;  bottom,  5  inches;  cross- 
piece,  6  inches  long.  The  bottom  piece  is  curved  as  shown 
in  Fig.  115.  The  diagram,  Fig.  116,  is  given  to  show  the- 
correct  angle  so  that  a  blacksmith  w7ho  wishes  can  make  a 
tool  accurately  from  this  angle. — By  J.  C. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


207 


Shoeing  with  Tips— Shoeing  Stumbling  and  Knee-Sprung 
Horses — Shoeing  for  Corns. 

As  regards  shoeing-  with  tips,  I  think  it  depends  upon  the 
nature  of  the  foot  to  be  shod.  If  the  heel  is  low,  there  is 
generally  a  good  healthy  frog,  and  in  most  cases  a  light 
sole,  and  consequently  the  tips  could  not  be  let  into  the 
foot.    In  my  practice  I  find  that  tips  are  a  good  thing  for 


Fig.  116— Diagram  used  by  "J.  C."  to  Show  the  Correct  Aogle. 


some  feet.  For  instance,  if  a  foot  is  contracted  at  the  heels 
and  has  a  high  wall  and  the  foot  is  hard,  and  there  is  a 
thick  hard  sole  and  a  small  hard  frog,  pinched  on  either 
side  by  the  bars,  then  I  say  put  on  tips.  I  make  the  tips 
of  steel,  and  taper  them  down  from  the  toe  to  the  heel,  hav- 
ing the  heel  half  as  thick  as  the  toe?  but  making  the  heel  in- 


208 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


serted  somewhat  at  about  the  center  of  the  quarter.  This 
gives  the  foot  a  level  bearing1.  I  know  that  tips  put  on 
horses  with  feet  as  I  have  described,  had  the  desired  effect, 
that  is,  they  widened  the  heels.  And  the  horses  did  not 
become  lame  although  they  were  driven  over  paved  streets 
all  the  Summer  months. 

My  method  of  shoeing  a  stumbling  horse  is  as  follows  : 
Shoe  with  plates,  rasp  off  the  toe  of  the  foot,  then  put  the 
hot  shoe  in  the  vise  at  the  first  toe  nails,  and  turn,  it  up  to 
fit  the  toe  of  the  foot. 

I  think  all  competent  horse shoers  will  maintain  that  a 
knee-sprung  horse  should  be  raised  on  his  or  her  heels.  If 
there  is  plenty  of  hoof,  I  pare  off  the  toe  and  then  put  on  a 
common  shoe.  If  there  is  not  plenty  of  hoof,  and  the  heels 
are  low,  the  desired  height  should  be  made  up  in  the  heel  of 
the  shoe.  If  a  toe  calk  is  needed  it  should  be  hammered 
down  low. 

In  shoeing  a  horse  with  corns  the  best  way  is  to  cut  off 
the  heel  of  the  shoe  on  the  inside,  as  the  heel  is  the  most 
subject  to  corns.  Do  not  pare  down  the  heel  or  bar,  but 
leave  them  in  contact  with  the  ground  and  your  horse  will 
then  have  a  good  sound  heel. — By  J.  J.  McN. 

Stumbling  Horses. 

To  shoe  horses  that  stumble,  pare  the  foot  as  for  ordi- 
nary shoeing  and  nail  the  shoe  on  pointing  forward,  as  you 
think  the  foot  should  be  carried  in  traveling.  Horses  that 
stumble  generally  have  a  round  or  wide  foot  and  toe  in. 
This  causes  them  to  hit  the  foot  that  stumbles  on  the  hoof, 
just  back  of  the  fourth  nail  from  the  toe,  with  the  side  of 
the  other  foot.  The  blow  is  so  light  that  it  leaves  scarcely 
any  mark,  but  it  will  soon  produce  soreness  at  the  point 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


209 


struck  and  cause  the  horse  to  stumble  very  often.  Point 
the  shoe  straight  forward,  therefore,  and  ren?ove  the  side 
of  the  hoof  all  it  will  bear—  By  D.  N. 

Curing  a  Turned  Foot. 

I  will  give  you  my  remedy  for  treating  a  hind  foot  that 
is  turned.  I  have  never  treated  front  feet.  I  take  a  new 
shoe,  fit  it  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  then  take  a  piece  of  old 
wagon  spring  about  1|  inches  wide,  and  weld  to  the  bottom 
of  the  toe  of  the  shoe,  taking  care  to  cut  it  so  long  that  it 
will  come  to  the  top  of  the  hoof  and  bend  almost  like  a 
sleigh  runner,  leaving  the  calkin  about  2  inches  long.  I 
then  turn  the  animal  out,  as  it  would  under  no  circum- 
stances do  to  use  him.  Bathing  frequently  with  some  of 
the  many  liniments  will  be  beneficial.  The  shoe  should  be 
taken  off  every  three  or  four  weeks,  or  as  often  as  neces- 
sary, and  the  runner  made  sharper  in  the  bend  and  the 
calkins  cut  down  gradually  until  the  foot  comes  to  the 
proper  shape. — By  S.  E.  G. 

To  Prevent  Striking. 

To  prevent  a  horse  from  striking  his  front  feet  with  the 
hind  ones,  I  put  on  the  front  feet,  shoes  that  are  very 
heavy,  but  a  little  shorter  than  the  common  style.  On  the 
hind  feet  I  use  very  light  shoes,  and,  if  they  are  calked,  set 
the  calk  pretty  far  back  in  the  shoe.  I  then  set  the  shoes 
so  that  the  hoof  will  project  a  little  in  front  of  them.  After 
shoeing  a  horse  in  this  way  a  few  times,  he  may  afterward 
be  shod  like  any  other  horse,  and  will  travel  right.— By  C, 
L,  D, 


210 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


Curing  a  Clicking  Horse. 

My  method  of  curing*  a  clicker,  that  is,  a  horse  that 
strikes  his  hind  feet  against  the  front  ones  is  as  follows  : 

I  take  a  pair  of  front  shoes  a  size  too  large  (I  use  Juniata 
shoes  when  1  can  get  them)  and  make  spring  heels  on  them. 
I  fit  them  as  long*  as  usual  and  put  on  heavy  toe  calks  but 
forge  the  toes  down  until  they  are  no  higher  than  the  heels, 


Fig.  117— The  Shoe  Used  for  Curing  a  Clicking  Horse. 

as  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration,  Fig.  117.  I  fit 
the  shoe  level.  For  the  hind  feet  I  use  the  smallest  shoe  I 
can  make  to  answer  and  fit  as  in  front  except  that  I  leave 
the  toe  as  high  again  as  in  front.  This  never  fails  to  stop 
a  horse  from  clicking.  It  is  a  habit,  in  my  opinion,  and  the 
horse  acquires  it  because  he  chooses  to  do  so,  not  because 
he  cannot  help  it—  By  I.  N.  Bailey, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HGRSESHOER. 


211 


What  is  a  Founder? 

The  trouble  popularly  known  as  "  founder  "  is  described 
in  works  on  veterinary  surges  as  laminitis,  or  an  inflam- 
mation of  the  foot.  This  disease  appears  in  two  forms.  In 
the  simple  form  the  sensitive  lamina  of  the  foot  and  the 
equally  sensitive  sole  are  affected,  while  in  the  more  severe 
form  the  bones  of  the  foot  are  also  included.  Among*  the 
many  causes  of  this  disease,  perhaps  the  most  common  is 
the  severe  concussion  from  fast  driving  on  hard  roads,  over- 


Fig.  118— Form  of  Shoe  for  Foundered  Horses. 


exertion  and  over-feeding,  and  drinking  cold  wTater  when 
the  horse  is  heated.  The  treatment  recommended  by  eminent 
authorities,  consists  in  the  administration  of  mild  purga- 
tives :  tincture  of  aconite  in  small  and  repeated  doses,  as  a 
febrifuge,  with  poultices  to  the  foot  in  the  early  stages  of 
the  disease  and  cold  applications  later.  Use  a  form  of  shoe 
such  as  is  shown  in  Fig.  118.  cc  As  early  as  possible,  get 
lightly  nailed  on  the  feet  affected,  extremely  stout,  wide- 
webbed  and  long-bar  shoes,  made  from  iron  about  twice 
the  ordinarj7  thickness  that  the  particular  horse's  shoes  are 
made  from  ;  make  them  gradually  thin  from  behind  the 
quarters,  so  that  the  heel  part  of  the  shoes  is  wide  and  thin, 
and  fitted  rocker  fashion,  which  enables  the  horse  to  throw 
his  weight  where  he  tries  to,  much  better  than  he  can  in 
ordinary  shoes  or  without  any  ;  that  is,  off  the  pedal  bone 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


on  to  the  soft  elastic  tissues  and  tendon  behind  it,  which 
are  much  less  vascular  and  sensitive." — American  Agri- 
culturist. , 

Shoeing  Chest-Foundered  Horses, 

Let  such  a  chest  foundered  horse  go  barefoot,  in  order  to 
wear  off  his  toes.  If  the  heels  fail  to  wear  off  so  as  to  get 
the  frog-  bearing's  sufficient  to  spread  the  heel,  cut  them 
down  until  the  frog  will  get  its  portion  of  the  bearing. 
When  the  toe  wears  so  as  to  become  tender  on  the  bottom 
put  on  a  thin  shoe  for  a  time  and  let  the  growth  continue. 
Then  take  off  the  light  shoes  and  let  the  horse  go  barefoot 
again. 

The  heels  and  frogs  on  such  horses  will  never  suffer  with- 
out a  shoe.  Just  a  tip,  or  half  shoe,  will  be  sufficient  in 
most  cases.  From  this  it  will  be  noticed  that  my  idea  of 
shoeing  chest-foundered  horses  does  not  consist  in  not  shoe- 
ing them  at  all,  but  in  not  shoeing  as  much  as  is  the  usual 
custom.  Let  the  horse's  feet  have  plenty  of  water,  and  let 
the  foot  gradually  come  into  natural  shape  and  proportion, 
with  reference  to  amount  of  heel  and  toe,  so  that  the  joints 
can  come  to  a  natural  position.  The  horse's  feet  will  then 
gradually-  came  back  under  him  and  the  so-called  chest- 
founder  will  gradually  disappear. 

The  points  to  be  borne  in  mind  are  the  water,  the  natural 
shape  of  foot,  the  frog  bearing,  position  of  joints  and  posi- 
tion of  leg.  The  pastern  and  coffin  joints  are  usually  the 
sufferers,  aside  from  the  contraction  of  shell  upon  the  wings 
of  paddle  bones,  where  corns  usually  commence.  The  in- 
flammation here  contracts  the  hoof  still  more  and  makes 
the  back  cord  sore.  These  causes  lead  to  a  long  high  toe 
in  proportion  to  the  heel.  This  is  generally  termed  chest- 
founder.  The  horse  sets  his  feet  forward,  and  the  breast 
appears  to  fall  in  because  the  shoulders  are  forward. — By  S.  S. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


213 


Drop  Sole  or  Pumice  Foot. 

Drop  sole  arises  from  various  causes.  It  may  come  from 
founder  or  laminitis,.  or  it  may  come  with  some  horses  from 
heavy  work  and  improper  shoeing-.  The  case  I  have  in 
view  now  arose  from  the  last-named  cause.  The  horse  on 
a  heavy  pull  would  do  his  work  with  the  toe  of  the  shoe. 
He  had  been  examined  and  shod  by  a  great  many  smiths, 
some  of  whom  would  call  the  trouble  by  one  name,  some  by 
another.  The  owner  labored  under  the  impression  that  the 
horse  was  hoof-bound.  I  made  an  examination  and  found 
the  hoof  tender  and  broken  loose  at  and  around  the  point 
of  the  frog*,  the  toe  being-  long-  and  showing-  a  tendency  to 
turn  up.  The  horse  pulled  with  Jiis  toe  or  the  toe  of  the 
shoe,  and  the  toe  of  the  hoof  being-  long-,  the  strain  caused 
the  back  part  of  the  laminae  to  elongate,  and  the  weight 
pressed  ag-ainst  the  sole  causing-  it  to  flatten  and  draw  the 
horny  sole  from  the  sensitive  or  fleslry  sole.  The  crust  or 
outside  wall  had  lost  its  proper  form  and  become  flatter, 
appearing-  as  if  it  wrere  forced  upward  from  the  ground. 

So  much  as  reg-ards  the  cause  of  the  disease  and  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  hoof.  Now  as  to  the  shoeing-.  It  is  first 
necessary  to  shorten  the  toe  as  much  as  possible  without 
injur}7,  as  the  sole  in  this  condition  is  weak.  Care  must  be 
taken  not  to  cut  or  pare  in  any  way  more  than  is  necessary 
for  the  proper  levels  of  the  shoe.  When  the  foot  is  thus 
prepared  a  shoe,  such  as  is  shown  in  Fig*.  113,  page  202, 
is  to  be  applied.  By  having-  the  toe  A  set  well  back 
on  the  shoe,  the  center  of  gravity  will  fall  more  directly 
on  the  foot  and  leg  bones,  and  the  strain  will  be  taken  off 
the  injured  parts.  Reset  the  shoes  even7  four  wreeks,  and 
in  a  few  shoeings  the  sole  will  return  to  its  natural  con- 
caved form.  Any  application  to  promote  the  growth  of  the 
hoof  is  good.    Before  the  application  of  this  shoe  the  horse, 


214  THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


after  being  driven  three  miles  on  a  hard  road  and  put  in 
the  stable  over  night,  could  hardly  get  out  of  the  stable 
again.  After  this  shoe  had  been  applied  the  horse  was 
driven  thirty  miles  on  a  hard  road,  put  in  stable  over  night, 
and  the  next  morning  came  out  as  free  from  soreness  as 
when  he  was  put  in. 

Drop  sole  has  other  causes  besides  those  I  have  men- 
tioned. Springing  the  shoe  off  at  the  heels  and  breaking 
down  the  quarters  will  also  cause  drop  sole  on  heavy 
draught  horses  that  have  low,  broad  heels. — By  J.  E.  M. 

Shoeing  to  Correct  Forging. 

The  difference  in  weight  and  gait  of  horses  requires  some 
slight  difference  in  the  method  of  shoeing  with  regard  to 
the  weight  and  length  of  shoe  to  be  used.  Some  horses  can 
carry  a  two-pound  shoe  quite  conveniently,  while  an  equal 
weight  would  tell  very  materially  upon  other  horses  after 
a  few  miles  of  travel.  It  is  noticed  that  speeding  horses  often- 
times have  the  fault  of  forging  more  or  less.  The  continual 
disagreeable  sound  that  is  heard  when  speeding  is  anything 
but  satisfactory  to  drivers'  ears,  and  the  resistance  to  the 
forward  movement  of  the  foot  by  the  blow  must,  of  course, 
suddenly  check  the  forward  movement  of  the  limb.  The 
heels  of  a  horse  that  are  battered  and  scarified  after  a 
severe  drive  cannot  but  engage  the  attention  of  the  owner, 
if  present.  Some  assert  that  it  is  impossible  to  stop  a  horse 
from  forging  when  badly  addicted  to  the  habit.  This  opin- 
ion, however,  is  not  altogether  accepted  by  horsemen,  and 
every  possible  means  that  can  be  employed  in  the  limit 
ed  sphere  of  shoeing  is  brought  to  bear  on  the  case,  so  that, 
if  possible,  the  fault  may  be  remedied. 

The  close  attention  of  the  driver  to  the  planting  of  the 
foot  shows  that  if  the  front  foot  could  be  caused  to  slightly 
lengthen  the  stride  the  forging  would  cease.  Therefore 
take  the  practical  observation  of  the  driver  and  make  use 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


215 


Of  it.  It  is  well  understood  in  mechanics  that  accelerated  mo- 
mentum will  carry  a  weight  quite  a  distance.  For  instance, 
a  person  not  weighted,  who  can  jump  eight  feet,  can  jump 
nearly  a  foot  farther  with  dumb-bells.  This  principle  is  ap- 
plicable to  a  certain  extent  to  the  front  limbs  of  the  forging 
horse.  Let  the  toe  of  the  shoe  be  heavy.  Let  the  smith 
use  his  own  good  judgment  as  to  the  weight.  One  shoe- 
ing may  not  suffice.  Note  the  effect  of  the  first  experiment 
and  be  governed  by  it  in  subsequent  operations. 

Some  smiths  advocate  a  long  shoe.  By  this  means  the 
weight  would  be  at  the  heels.  If  the  extra  weight  is  at  the 
toe  on  the  shoe  a  neater  job  is  made.  Have  the  heels  short 
and  beveled  under,  with  a  broad  chamfer  along  the  quarter. 
Make  the  chamfer  while  the  shoe  is  hot.  A  slight  filing 
makes  it  bright  when  cold.  For  fine  work  one  inch  back  of 
crust  termination  is  amply  sufficient  for  hoof  bearings. 
The  shoe  should  be  concaved  on  the  bottom  or  heavily 
chamfered.  No  nail  heads  should  project  out  of  the  crease. 
A  front  clip  has  its  advantages  and  disadvantages.  It  de- 
pends very  much  upon  the  judgment  of  the  shoer  whether 
it  should  be  used  or  not. 

The  hind  shoes  require  to  be  as  high  as  the  circumstances 
admit.  The  toe  calk  should  be  hot- filed  of  all  projecting 
and  superfluous  metal.  If  the  evil  is  stopped  by  having  a 
full  toe,  so  much  the  better ;  if  not,  regulate  the  toe  by 
hot-filing,  and  set  the  shoe  back  as  little  as  the  circum- 
stances permit.  Bear  in  mind  as  you  set  back  the  shoe 
that  you  advance  to  a  point  of  serious  danger  to  the  foot. 
Round  all  the  sharp  corners  of  the  heels  of  the  front  shoe. 
When  the  clicking  of  the  shoes  is  removed  one  annoyance 
is  overcome ;  but  more  frequently  a  more  serious  one  re- 
mains. To  remove  it  has  been  the  object  of  horseshoers 
for  many  years.  The  method  here  described  is  not  guaran- 
teed to  be  effective  in  all  cases,  but  there  are  points  in  it 
which  are  good. — By  C.  S. 


CHAPTER  X. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SUBJECTS 

Thick-Heeled  Shoes. 

I  wish  to  contribute  my  quota  of  experience  about  a  mat- 
ter that  is  of  considerable  importance  to  our  craft.  The 
custom  of  apptying  hind  shoes  made  very  thick,  or  feather- 
edged,  on  the  inside,  was  one  that  became  prevalent  from 
the  beginning*  of  the  present  century.  Its  supposed  influ- 
ence as  a  remedy  against  cutting  was  founded  on  the 
hypothesis  that  by  raising  the  inside  of  the  foot  the  past- 
ern joint  was  tilted  outward,  which  was  supposed  to  enable 
the  elevated  foot  to  pass  the  limb  planted  on  the  ground 
without  touching  it.  The  same  injurious  practice  has  been 
more  or  less  extended  to  the  fore  feet,  on  the  faith  of  some 
such  speculative  notions.  It  has  also  been  supposed  that 
thick-heeled  shoes  give  support  to  the  joint  and  tendons ; 
while,  again,  horses  are  shod  with  the  outside  heel  of  the 
hind  shoe  turned  up  and  the  inside  made  thick,  with  the 
idea  of  giving  the  foot  a  level  bearing.  These  belong  to 
some  of  the  Old  World  notions,  which  have  led  to  the  twist- 
ing of  the  horse's  legs,  the  jar  and  injury  of  their  feet  and 
joints,  resulting  in  splints,  spavins,  and  other  affections  of 
the  hock  joint,  all  of  which  diseases  have  become  prevalent 
through  ignorant  malpractice. 

The  objections  here  urged  do  not  apply  to  the  use  of  calk- 
ins, which  are  often  useful,  especially  for  draught  horses. 
The  safety  of  a  sound  horse  in  action,  and  when  his  move- 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


217 


ments  are  free,  greatly  depends  on  the  state  of  his  hind  feet. 
An  animal  crippled  on  his  fore  feet  falls  and  breaks  his 
knees;  but  if  a  sound  horse,  free  on  his  limbs — say  an  un- 
shod colt,  galloping"  in  the  field — fails,  it  is*  always  through 
his  hind  feet  giving  way,  by  their  slipping  under  him,  in 
which  case  he  comes  down  on  his  quarters  or  on  his  side, 
but  not  on  his  knees. 

A  little  artificial  aid  answers  the  purpose  of  giving  secur- 
ity to  the  horse  in  almost  all  emergencies.  The  thick-heeled 
shoes  both  jar  the  horse  and  act  like  skates  on  his  feet,  and 
when  one  limb  of  the  shoe  is  made  thick  and  the  other 
turned  up,  on  the  supposition  that  the  horse  stands  level, 
the  opposite  effect  follows;  for  although  the  foot  may  ap- 
pear level  whilst  the  animal  stands  on  flag-stones  or  boards, 
yet  the  case  is  reversed  as  soon  as  he  is  put  to  work, 
whether  on  common  roads,  paved  streets,  or  ground  more 
or  less  yielding;  the  heel  that  is  turned  up  will  find  or  make 
depressions,  whilst  the  solid,  thick,  inside  half  of  the  shoe 
remains  above  ground  and  jars  the  horse's  limbs,  becoming 
a  source  of  inconvenience  without  one  redeeming  advantage. 
—By  F.  L  G. 

To  Shoe  a  Horse  Injured  by  Calking. 

It  is  very  surprising  to  me  that  the  mechanics  in  cities 
are,  as  a  rule,  inferior  to  those  in  the  country.  1  do  not 
say  this  because  I  have  anything  against  the  city  mechan- 
ics, for  I  think  they  are  more  brotherly  than  the  country 
workmen,  who  are  always  running  one  another  dow^n. 

But  let  that  be  as  it  may,  what  I  wish  to  speak  of  now  is 
the  art  of  horseshoeing  in  particular.  It  seems  strange 
that  shoers  have  so  many  different  ideas  about  shoeing-  the 
same  kinds  of  feet.  I  have  seen  some  especially  bad  work 
in  some  of  the  Western  cities.    For  example:  I  saw  a  horse 


218 


ME  practical  horseshoer. 


that  had  been  calked  brought  in  one  of  these  Western  shops 
to  be  shod  and  have  his  foot  treated.  I  will  now  explain  the 
nature  of  the  calk,  so  that  my  brother  smiths  will  under- 
stand the  condition  of  the  foot.  The  calk  or  cut  was  in  the 
center  of  the  fore-foot,  about  an  inch  below  the  hair,  and 
extending*  downward,  being  short  but  deep.  This  smith,  if 
so  he  can  be  called,  went  to  work  as  follows:  He  cut  the 
clinches  and  removed  the  shoe  in  the  ordinary  way;  then 
taking  his  paring-knife,  he  cut  from  the  hair  clear  to  the 
point  of  the  toe,  or  the  entire  length  of  the  foot.  Under- 
stand,  he  cut  each  side  of  the  calk,  thereby  making  a  large 
cavity  the  shape  of  the  letter  V,  leaving  the  flesh,  or  mem. 
brane,  or  quick,  exposed  to  the  dirt,  grit  and  filth  of  the 
streets,  and  the  blood  oozing  out.  He  then  nailed  on  the 
shoe,  and  pronounced  the  operation  complete.  That  horse 
was  then  a  hundred  per  cent  worse  than  when  he  entered 
the  shop. 

You  ask,  Well,  how  did  the  horse  get  along  in  this  condi- 
tion? The  result  was  simply  this:  dirt  and  gravel  got  in 
the  exposed  parts,  and  the  animal  became  lame,  not  only 
on  account  of  the  dirt  and  gravel,  but  because  when  the 
foot  was  put  on  the  ground  and  the  weight  of  the  animal 
bore  down  on  it  the  cut  expanded,  causing  great  pain. 

Now,  any  smith  ought  to  know  that  the  heel  is  the  ex- 
panding or  contracting  portion  of  the  foot,  and,  therefore, 
when  the  front  of  the  hoof  is  split  to  the  entire  length,  it 
will  expand,  causing  pain  and  lameness.  This  horse  be- 
came worse  at  once,  and  the  owner  took  him  to  another 
shop.  I  happened  to  be  present  at  the  time,  and  the  smith 
asked  me  what  I  thought  about  the  treatment  the  foot  had 
received.  I  told  him  the  smith  that  did  that  job  was  a  fool, 
in  my  opinion,  and  did  not  understand  his  business;  and, 
furthermore,  that  he  ought  to  be  arrested  for  cruelty  to 
animals.    I  then  gave  the  smith  a  little  advice  as  to  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


219 


way  I  would  treat  that  foot;  I  would  first  cleanse  the  sore 
portions  thoroughljr,  then  make  the  foot  perfect^  water 
and  air- tight  with  resin.  I  think  resin  far  better  than  tar 
for  this  purpose,  as  nothing  will  adhere  to  it.  After  sealing 
the  foot  securely,  I  would  apply  a  steel  shoe  that  would  not 
take  and  give,  the  foot  then  being  perfectly  solid  and  in  no 
danger  of  expanding.  Sometimes  a  bar-shoe  is  far  better 
than  an  ordinary  one. — By  W.  G.  T. 


I  will  give  you  a  description  of  oar  style  of  shoeing.  Our 
country  is  verj'  rough  and  stony,  rendering  an  iron  calk 
useless  for  fall  and  winter.  Our  summer  shoeing  is  of 
but  little  importance,  being  most  all  resetting  old  shoes 
nearly  worn  out,  which  are  expected  to  stay  on  from  three 


to  five  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the}7  have  the 
shoes  tightened  up  and  perhaps  come  back  to  have  a  new 
nail  put  in  some  vacant  nail  hole.  To  simmer  the  thing 
down  line,  the  smith  who  puts  shoes  on  to  stay  the  longest 
is  the  best  shoer. 

Our  winter  shoeing  is  of  a  different  nature  in  quality  of 
shoe.    Then  we  use  our  self-sharpening  shoe,  which  we  put 


Self-Sharpening  Calks. 


Fig.  120— Shows  How  Calk  is  Split. 


220 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOERr 


on  as  soon  as  the  ground  freezes,  and  they  are  kept  on  till 
spring*. 

To  make  a  self-sharpening  shoe,  pick  a  shoe  to  fit  the 
foot  you  are  going  to  shoe,  and  turn  down  the  heel  calks  as 
for  mud  calks.  Then  with  a  sharp  flat  chisel,  made  from  a 
large  flat  file,  split  the  calk  as  shown  in  Fig.  120.  Now 
take  the  best  cast  steel  that  will  harden  the  hardest  without 
breaking,  and  make  slips  as  shown  in  No.  2  of  Fig.  120. 
They  should  be  a  trifle  wider  than  the  width  of  the  calk, 
and  an  eighth  of  an  inch  deeper  than  the  depth  of  the  slit. 
Weld  with  borax,  or  some  good  compound,  so  as  to  keep 


good  life  in  the  steel.  Make  your  toe  calks  of  iron,  then 
weld  to  shoe  good  and  solid.  Then  make  slips,  as  shown  in 
Fig.  121,  a  trifle  longer  than  the  toe.  Now  weld,  as  shown, 
being  careful  to  keep  the  steel  out  to  the  edge  where  the 
shoe  is  sharp.  This  can  easily  be  done  by  filing*  the  iron 
off  as  the  toe  is  being  drawn  out,  when  the  shoe  is  fitted  to 
the  foot.  It  is  now  ready  for  tempering,  and  this  is  my 
way  of  tempering.  Heat  toe  and  heel  to.  a  g*ood  cherry  red 
and  then  cool  the  shoe  off  by  dipping  in  water  and  holding- 
it  there  till  cool.  Hold  the  edge  of  the  calk  in  the  fire  and 
draw  the  temper  to  a  copper  color.  Heavy  mower  sections, 
such  as  the  Buckej^e,  make  good  slips  for  ice  or  snow  roads, 
but  are  too  light  to  stand  frozen  ground  or  stone.  The 
steel  of  a  circular  saw  is  the  best  I  have  ever  used. —  By  J, 


Fig.  121— Section  of  Shoe  Showing  Toe  Calk. 


A-  B, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSE SHOER. 


221 


Sharpening  Calks — Setting  Heels  and  Toes. 

My  belief  is  that  mai^  blacksmiths  set  the  toe  calk  under 
instead  of  setting  it  out  as  it  should  be.  After  the  toe  is 
welded  turn  the  heels  in  the  air  and  sharpen  from  the  in- 
side of  the  toe  with  the  pane  of  the  hammer.  This  gives 
the  outward  slant  in  sharpening-  so  the  shoe  is  not  thrown 
out  of  shape. 

A  horse  in  pulling,  sets  the  heel  down  first,  which  makes 


Fig.  122—  Sharpening  Calks. 

the  shoe  slant,  and  if  it  slants  inward  the  horse  will  slip 
in  pulling  up-hill,  while  if  it  slants  outward  he  gets  a  firm 
hold. 

Never  set  the  heels  square  across.  They  should  always 
be  set  with  the  curve  of  the  shoe  and  then  they  prevent  the 
horse  from  slipping  sidewise.  Slope  them  toward  each 
other  as  shown  in  the  illustration,  Fig.  122,  in  which  B  B 
represents  the  heels  and  A  the  toe. — By  H.  R, 


222 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


To  Shoe  a  Horse  that  Crosses  one  Leg  Over  the  Other. 

To  prevent  a  horse  calking*  himself  that  has  the  fault  of 
crossing*  one  hind  leg*  with  the  other,  I  employ  the  plan 
given  below.  I  would  say  that  three  customers  of  mine 
each  own  a  horse  that  had  the  same  fault.  I  tried  different 
ways  to  stop  it,  but  found  no  way  so  good  as  to  shoe  them 
with  a  shoe  on  the  foot  that  they  crossed  the  other  one  with, 


similar  to  Fig.  123.  C  is  the  inside  of  shoe.  Instead  of 
having  a  calk  at  A,  as  on  the  other  side,  I  have  a  calk  at 
B,  at  the  last  heel  nail  hole.  The  shoe  at  A  should  be 
filed  smooth;  the  calk  at  B  should  be  the  same  kind  of 
calk  as  is  commonly  put  on  heels  ;  have  tried  the  above 
way  Of  shoeing  the  horses  referred  to  for  three  years,  and 
they  have  not  calked  themselves  once.  —  By  Rab  of  the 
Wynde. 

Predmore's  Rotary  Clincher. 

This  clincher  is  m}^  own  invention,  and  comes  nearer  per- 
fection than  any  I  have  seen. 

The  clincher  complete  is  shown  in  Fig*.  124.  It  consists 
of  the  lower  handle.  Fig.  125,  with  end  mortised  as  shown, 


Fig.  123— Shoe  to  Prevent  Calkiug. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


223 


In  this  the  rotary,  Fig*.  126,  is  attached  and  connected  with 
the  upper  handle,  which  is  also  the  lower  jaw,  Fig.  128,  by 
the  connecting-  bar,  Fig.  127. 

In  Figs.  126  and  128,  the  holes  D  and  C  are  threaded  for 


Fig.  124— Predmore's  Rotary  Clincher  Complete. 


screws,  as  in  these  holes  the  holts  are  required  to  be  set  very 
firmly.    The  bolts  may  be  seen  at  D  and  C  in  Fig.  124. 


Fig.  125— Showing  Lower  Handle,  and  how  the  End  is  Mortised. 


To  operate,  simply  hold  the  rotary  firmly  to  the  foot, 
close  the  handles  and  the  rotary  will  clinch  the  same  as  a 
hammer.— By  G.  W.  Predmore. 

Shall  Nails  be  Clinched  in  Horseshoeing? 

Does  it  do  any  good  to  clinch  the  nails  in  a  horse's  foot? 

I  have  shod  horses  most  of  the  time  for  thirty-five  years, 
and  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  a  clinch  is  of  no  use, 
though  I  still  practice  it,  for  the  majority  of  men  would  feel 


224 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


sure  the  shoes  would  drop  off  unless  the  nails  were  clinched. 
Some  of  my  customers,  however,  won't  have  them  clinched 
at  all. 

Experience  has  shown  me  that  more  nails  break  off  be- 


Fig.  126— The  Rotary  for  Clincher.  Fig.  127  -The  Connecting  Bar 

for  Clincher. 

tween  the  shoe  and  the  hoof  than  get  loose  enough  to  draw 
out. 

As  proof  of  this  you  will  generally  see  the  nails  sticking 
up  above  the  hoof  when  the  shoe  gets  settled  into  its  place, 
showing  clearly  that  the  shoe  is  not  held  by  the  clinch. 


C 

Fig.  128— The  Lower  Jaw  for  Clincher. 


Nails  seldom  get  loose  enough  to  pull  down  against  the 
clinch. 

I  conclude,  therefore,  that  the  time  emploj^ed  in  clinching 
nails  is  wasted,  as  a  shoe  will  stay  on  as  long  without  as 
with  clinching.— By  S.  B.  Pepper. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


225 


Driving  Horseshoe  Nails. 

Horseshoes  can  be  kept  on  a  long*  time  by  the  following- 
plan.  I  think  shoes  well  fitted  to  the  foot  will  stay  as  long- 
as  they  ought  to  remain  without  re-setting.  But  for  large 
horses  I  find  it?  works  well  to  drive  the  nails  as  shown  in  the 
accompanying  illustration,  Fig*.  129. — By  L.  W.  P. 

A  Novel  Idea  in  Horseshoeing. 

I  have  been  looking  into  the  matter  of  horseshoes  lately, 
trying  for  something  practicable  to  prevent  contraction, 


Fig.  129— Driving  Horseshoe  Nails. 


but  haven't  found  anything  better  than  the  generally  ac- 
cepted plans,  unless  it  is  Hague's  Expansion  Shoe. 
Did  you  ever  observe  that  anything  that  is  bright,  shows 
-  up  very  conspicuously  on  the  feet.  There  was  good  sense 
in  the  old-fashioned  shoe  buckle.  I  think  I  have  seen  it 
stated  that  while  Washington  was  president  he  rode  through 
the  streets  of  Philadelphia  behind  six  splendid  white  horses 


226 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


which  were  shod  with  gold.  I  don't  know  if  the  Lord  Mayor 
of  London  puts  on  that  much  style,  but  it  is  a  matter  which 
history  has  considered  of  sufficient  importance  to  mention 
that  Nero  had  his  mules  shod  with  silver,  while  those  of  -his 
wife  were  shod  with  gold.  A  horse's  hoof  can  be  polished 
until  it  is  as  smooth  and  as  glossy  as  a  tortoise-shell  comb, 
and  it  is  certainly  perfect  taste  to  have  them  so.  But  that 
polished  hoof  will  be  set  off  to  great  advantage,  and  atten- 
tion will  be  called  to  it  if  there  is  but  the  faintest  bright 
glimmer  of  gold  on  a  thin  line  around  its  base.  -  There  is  no 


Fig.  130— Showing  Some  Tasteful  Designs  for  Artistic  Horseshoeing. 


necessity  of  this  brightness  being  of  gold,  brass  will  answer 
as  well.  A  steel  shoe  can  be  made  with  a  channel  for  the 
insertion  of  brass,  and  arranged  to  show  the  bright  brass 
bottom  when  the  horse  is  in  motion  and  the  band  of  yellow 
metal  at  the  base  of  the  hoof  when  the  horse  is  standing 
still. 

The  engraving,  Fig.  130,  conveys  some  idea  of  the  fanci- 
ful effects  which  may  be  produced.  Fashion  makes  business. 
Fashion  is  the  most  beneficent  of  all  the  goddesses,  and  if 
she  refuses  her  favors  to  the  blacksmith  then  he  should  take 
them.  Business  will  be  good  when  the  product  of  the  black- 
smith is  subject  to  the  caprice  of  fashion. 

Even  putting  a  brass  plate  across  the  hoof,  the  full  size 
and  1-16  inch  thick  under  the  shoe,  turning*  up  a  flange  or 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


227 


Hot,  would  be  a  benefit  to  horses  as  much  as  india  rubber 
and  be  yielding*  enough  to  take  off  the  jar  of  the  hard  pave- 
ment, but  not  enough  to  let  the  shoe  move  up  and  down 
sufficiently  to  loosen  it. — By  B.  F.  Spalding. 


It  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  know  all  the  good  ideas  of 
the  trade.  If  we  err  in  our  conclusions  it  is  no  fault  of  the 
heart,  but  rather  something-  that  happens  to  the  best  of  us 
sometimes.  When  a  bar  shoe  is  to  be  made  the  blacksmith 
puts  his  thinking-  cap  on.    He  is  on  the  threshold  of  vet- 


erinary surgery.  Of  all  the  methods  which  present  them- 
selves, that  which  is  most  acceptable  for  the  case  in  hand  is 
the  one  sought.  Practical  experience  opens  the  way  for  the 
judgment  to  choose.  Then  comes  the  practical  test.  When 
the  crossbar  of  a  shoe  rests  on  the  soft  part  or  extremity  of 
the  frog  it  is  apt  to  cause  injury  to  it,  but  when  it  is  placed 
farther  towards  the  point  it  rests  on  the  harder  part  of  the 
frog,  producing  better  results.  It  is  impossible  to  point 
out  a  correct  method  of  fitting  a  bar  shoe,  as  each  new  case 
differs  so  much  from  all  others.  Some  smiths  cannot  make 
a  bar  shoe,  because  they  are  poor  forgers  of  iron.  Such 


Bar  Shoes  and  their  Uses. 


Fig.  131 — A  Form  of  Bar  Shoe. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


men  should  not  be  allowed  to  tamper  with  a  horse's  foot 
afflicted  with  ailment,  under  any  circumstances. 

In  seeking-  information  in  books  or  papers,  we  often 
come  across  the  expression,  "  use  a  bar  shoe."    The  smith 


Figs.  132  and  133— Two  other  Forms  of  Bar  Shoes. 


is  left  in  the  dark  with  that  short  expression.  It  gives  him 
but  an  idea,  all  the  rest  lies  with  himself.  A  bar  shoe  works 
some  very  fine  cures  occasionally,  and  it  would  be  a  benefit 
to  shoers  if  a  cut  and  a  description  of  each  case  of  the  kind 


Figs.  134  and  135— Still  Additional  Forms  of  Bar  Shoes. 


were  published.  Some  smiths  pride  themselves  on  making 
a  bar  shoe  without  welding  the  bar  separately.  It  is  just 
as  convenient  to  weld  the  bar  across  if  you  have  a  piece  of 
iron  at  hand  suitable.    Some  blacksmiths  place  a  gum  or 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


229 


leather  pad  over  the  bar  to  rest  the  frog  on,  and  to  act  as  a 
cushion.  Oftentimes  this  device  produces  good  results. 
The  results  of  the  application  of  a  bar  shoe  are  very  uncer- 
tain. Some  smiths  can  fit  an  ordinary  shoe  with  good  suc- 
cess, but  are  totally  in  darkness  when  the  least  judgment 
or  ingenuity  is  required  in  the  work.  In  the  application 
and  proper  fitting  of  a  bar  shoe  to  a  horse's  foot  there  is 
need  of  great  care.    There  are  many  floormen  who  have 


Fig.  136— Showing  the  Shoe  J.  F.  Button  uses  on  Contracted  Feet. 

the  knack  of  setting  a  shoe  after  it  has  been  fitted  by  the 
fireman  with  better  results  than  if  they  nailed  it  when  first 
fitted.  In  Figs.  131,  132,  133,  134  and  135  are  given  several 
forms  of  bar  shoes. — By  C.  S. 

Shoeing  Contracted  Feet. 

I  herewith  explain  my  method  of  shoeing  horses  that 
have  contracted  feet. 
The  hoof  should  first  be  well  and  neatly  pared  down,  all 


230  THE  PRACTICAL  IIORSESHOEK. 


dead  horn  removed  from  the  sole  and  the  wall  thinned  by 
rasping*.  I  then  shoe  with  a  shoe  made  as  shown  in  the 
illustration,  Fig.  136.  I  shape  the  shoe  with  the  inside  at 
the  heels  the  highest.  This  has  the  tendency  to  spread  the 
foot.  I  leave  this  shoe  on  about  three  weeks,  and  then  re- 
shoe,  using*  a  shoe  with  a  little  more  spread.  After  a  few 
re-settings  you  will  have  the  heel  as  wide  as  required. 

I  have  shod  a  great  many  horses  after  this  simple  method, 
and  never  knew  it  to  fail.  In  this  section  of  the  country 
the  ground  is  very  hard  and  dry,  and  in  consequence  the 
hoofs  of  horses  are  apt  to  get  very  hard  and  dry.  For  such 
I  use  the  following  liniment  to  soften  : 

Linseed  Oil  4  ozs. 

Saltpetre   4  ozs. 

Oil  of  Spike  2  ozs. 

Aqua  Ammonia    2  ozs. 

Soak  the  entire  hoof  with  this  twice  a  day,  and  there  will 
be  no  trouble  with  hard  dry  hoofs. — By  J.  F.  Button. 

Tool  for  Measuring  Angle  of  Horses'  Hoofs. 

I  have  an  instrument  for  measuring  the  angle  of  a  horse's 
hoof,  which  I  describe  for  the  benefit  of  my  brother  smiths. 
The  tool  complete  is  seen  at  Fig.  137.  Hold  the  foot  in 
position  between  the  knees,  with  shoe  removed ;  place  the 
prongs  A,  A,  level  on  each  quarter,  with  the  toe  touching 
the  upright  at  B ;  push  the  upright  tight  to  the  wall  of  the 
foot  in  front,  tighten  the  thumb  screw  0,  when  j^ou  will 
fhid  the  correct  angle  marked.    It  will  fit  any  size  foot. 

The  piece  A,  A,  D,  is  made  from  a  piece  f  x  -J-  inch  split 
to  F.  The  prongs  are  drawn  to  ^  x  ^  inch,  and  per- 
fectly level  on  top.  Make  slot  hole  at  B,  x  ^  of  an 
inch.  Saw  a  slot,  D,  in  which,  fasten  the  quadrant.  The 
upright  is  made  from  a  piece  inch,  6^  inches  long, 

with  slot  and  set  screw  at  G,  to  slide  over  the  quadrant, 


ME  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


231 


which  is  made  from  a  piece  of  steel  TV  x  T\  inch.  The 
figures  are  put  on  with  acid.  Flow  melted  beeswax  over 
the  quadrant;  be  careful  to  have  every  part  well  coated, 


Fig.  137— Tool  for  Measuring  Angle  of  Horse's  Hoofs- 


mark  the  figures  through  thewax?and  cover  with  sulphuric 
acid  ;  it  will  eat  into  the  metal  where  the  wax  has  been 
removed. — By  D.  F.  K. 

How  to  Treat  Horses'  Feet  for  Corns. 

Corns  in  horses'  feet  are  very  often  troublesome  things 
that  blacksmiths  have  to  contend  with  in  shoeing.  The  vari- 
ety and  extent  of  the  disease  is  at  times  somewhat  perplex- 
ing, and  it  is  not  much  wonder  that  the  question  is  so  often 
asked      What  is  the  best  way  to  get  rid  of  them  ?" 

In  this  article  it  is  not  the  intention  to  enter  into  a 
detailed  statement  of  the  various  stages  of  the  disease,  nor 
to  give  methods  of  treatment  that  ought  to  be,  or  should 
be  pursued  by  a  veterinary  surgeon.  I  will  simply  indicate 
a  general  method  that  may  be  adopted  at  blacksmith  or 
horseshoeing  shops. 

The  causes  that  lead  to  corns  are  various  and  extensive. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOEK. 


It  might  be  safely  said  that  there  is  no  particular  cause  for 
corns  at  all,  notwithstanding*  the  learned  opinions  and  diag- 
noses of  many  writers. 

It  is  generally  said  that  the  shoes,  or  shoeing,  cause  them, 
when,  in  fact,  it  is  well  known  that  corns  grow  in  feet  that 
have  had,  perhaps,  only  one  shoeing — but  the  blacksmith 
has  often  to  bear  the  blame  where  there  ought  to  be  none, 
and  to  quietly  listen  to  the  inuendo  and  remote  insinuations 
that  are  often  leveled  at  him.  The  writer  has  often  seen 
feet  diseased  by  corns,  when  there  was  no  possibility  of  the 
shoes  having  caused  them — yet  shoeing  causes  them  some- 
times, and  also  proper  shoeing  can  perfect  a  cure  in  some 
cases. 

Corns  and  bruises  of  the  sole  are  commonly  seen  in 
horses'  feet,  and  they  are  caused  in  some  cases  by  a  general 
weakness  of  the  foot,  in  others  by  an  undue  pressure  of  the 
shoe  at  a  particular  point ;  or  by  the  shoe  being  loose  and 
gravel  and  other  substances  gathering  under  it,  and  there- 
by being  hammered  into  the  sole  ;  or  by  a  tendency  of  the 
foot  to  contraction,  which  obviously  causes  an  unnatural 
pressure  on  the  weaker  portions  of  the  foot,  thereby  causing 
a  squeeze  which  results  in  corns  or  other  bruises. 

Again,  corns  will  appear  in  feet  when  we  can  hardly 
account  for  them,  but  when  they  are  there  we  must  do  what 
we  can  to  eradicate  them.  Therefore  allow  me  to  advance 
a  general  method  of  treatment  that  can  be  pursued  in  every 
ordinary  case  that  is  usually  treated  by  a  horseshoer. 

On  examining  the  foot,  if  it  needs  paring,  pare  it  down  to 
the  customary  limit.  Then  if  the  corn  is  of  recent  origin, 
pare  it  out  so  that  the  affected  parts  will  be  below  the  level 
of  the  other  parts  of  the  foot ;  fit  the  shoe  so  that  it  will  bear 
evenly  and  level  all  around  on  the  outer  crust  of  the  foot — 
keeping  it  slightly  off  the  sole  all  around,  and  particularly 
at  the  point  where  the  corn  is  seated.  It  is,  perhaps,  a  good 
idea  to  lightly  cauterize  the  parts  with  a  small  heated  rod, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER, 


233 


and  to  occasionally  apply  a  little  turpentine  or  good  hoof 
ointment  to  the  affected  parts. 

Of  course  this  treatment  is  for  new  corns,  but  for  old  and 
stubborn  ones  a  different  course  will  have  to  be  adopted, 
which  should  be  about  as  follows  :  Pare  around  and  down 
as  deep  as  you  can  without  injury  to  the  healthy  parts  of 
the  foot,  which  you  must  watch,  so  that  you  may  not  do  any 
unnecesary  cutting-.  After  having  the  diseased  parts  well 
cleaned  out,  pour  some  turpentine  into  the  cavity  and  fill 
with  fresh  horse  manure.  This  is  to  keep  any  foreign  mat- 
ter from  entering.  Before  stopping  the  cavity  you  might 
put  in  some  pine  tar  and  then  stop  with  the  manure.  Fit 
the  shoe  neatly,  and  if  you  find  it  necessary  in  order  to 
cover  the  cavity,  you  can  broaden  the  shoe  at  that  point  so 
that  it  will  cover  it,  but  remember  to  keep  the  shoe  from 
pressing  at  that  part.  When  a  foot  is  badly  used  up  with 
corns,  bruises,  and  misused  from  disease  or  otherwise,  it  is 
a  very  good  plan  to  have  the  whole  surface  of  the  sole  cov- 
ered by  a  leather  covering,  under  which  put  some  cotton  or 
oakum,  saturated  with  pine  tar  or  some  good  foot  ointment. 
It  will  stimulate  the  foot  to  a  healthy  growth  and  will  soft- 
en it,  which  will  tend  to  drive  out  that  hard  and  bone-like 
nature  which  is  a  great  hindrance  to  the  healthy  growth  of 
the  foot.— By  I.  A.  C. 

Glycerine  for  Softening  Ffeet. 

I  beg  to  differ  with  those  who  believe  in  the  use  of  cow 
manure  or  oil  to  soften  hoofs  ;  the  latter  should  never  be 
employed  and  the  former  very  seldom.  My  objection  to 
cow  manure  is,  that  by  using  it  often,  the  ammonia  it  con- 
tains destroys  the  frog  and  produces  thrush  and  hoof-rot. 
My  objection  to  oils,  tar,  etc.,  is  that  they  render  the  hoof 
brittle,  and  loosen  the  nails.  The  best  thing  that  I  have 
found  is  to  have  the  owners  of  horses  soak  the  horse's  feet 
occasionally  in  cold  water,  and  every  few  days  apply  glycer- 


C2U 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOED. 


ine  to  the  coronary  ring,  rubbing*  it  in  well,  especially  in  dry 
weather.  I  know  from  experience,  that  glycerine  will  soft- 
en and  toughen  the  hoof.  The  difference  between  tar  and 
oil  and  glycerine  is  that  the  two  former  close  the  pores  and 
keep  out  water,  while  glycerine  will  mix  with  water,  which 
I  have  found  in  my  practice  to  be  the  best  for  horses'  feet. 

A 


Fig.  138— A  Shoe  for  Draught  Horses. 

I  do  not  think  I  know  all  about  horseshoeing,  by  any  means, 
notwithstanding  I  have  run  a  shop  for  quite  a  number  of 
years.  I  am  learning  and  expect  to  continue  to  learn  some- 
thing everyday. — By  Rab  of  the  Wynde. 

Two  Improved  Horseshoes. 

If  a  draught  horse  pulls  from  the  outside  toe,  the  outside 
quarter  will  wire,  and  to  overcome  this  tendency  I  have  de- 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


235 


signed  the  shoe  shown  in  Fig*.  138.  The  device  may  be  ap- 
plied to  any  ordinary  shoe  in  the  following*  manner  :  Weld 
the  toe  piece  A  on  the  shoe,  making-  the  piece  extend  over 
the  outside  rim  of  the  shoe  from  half  an  inch  to  one  inch. 
Then  stave  up  the  outside  heel  of  the  shoe  sufficiently  to  get  a 


A 


Fig.  139— A  Side-Weight  Shoe. 

good,  broad  covering  for  the  narrowed  heels  and  quarters. 
Use  the  round  fulling  tool  to  svvedge  the  shoe,  and  swedge 
wide  enough  to  get  a  good  bar  pressure.  Turn  up  the 
heels,  weld  a  calk  on  the  outside  heels  and  fit  the  shoe  snug 
to  the  wall,  up  to  both  sides  of  the  frog.  The  effect  of  the 
projecting  toe  piece  is  to  brace  or  stay  the  weak  part  of 


236 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


the  ankle  and  foot.  After  two  or  three  shoeings  the  foot 
will  regain  its  natural  movements.  Fig.  138  represents 
the  shoe  as  designed  for  draught  horses.  Fig.  139  is  a  side 
weight  shoe  for  improving  the  action  behind.  I  use  the 
shoe  also  for  some  cases  of  interfering. 


In  the  engraving  A  B  denote  a  line  dividing  the  foot.  C 
is  the  outside  or  weighted  side  of  the  shoe.  D  and  E  indi- 
cate the  degrees  to  which  weight  may  be  added  in  the  web. 
When  the  shoe  requires  additional  weight  to  carry  the  foot 
out,  this  weight  may  be  added  in  the  web  up  to  the  line  Z>, 
and  if  more  weight  is  needed  increase  the  web  toward  E. 
I  have  used  this  shoe  for  ten  years  with  good  results. — 
By  G.  E.  R. 


Though  the  horse  is  one  of  man's  most  faithful  servants, 


Fig,  40— How  to  Kill  a  Horse. 


How  to  Kill  a  Horse. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


237 


it  sometimes  becomes  advisable,  for  the  servant's  own  good, 
that  the  master  should  turn  executioner. 

It  is  not  a  pleasant  task  the  man  then  finds  before  him. 


Fig.  HI— A  Cowboy  Halter.  Showing  the  Bands,  Knots,  Loop  and  Latch. 

It  is  not  one  that  most  men  know  how  to  properly  per- 
form. 


238 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


Through  the  nervousness  or  inability  of  the  executioner 
numbers  of  the  poor  animals  are  needlessly  tortured  when 
it  becomes  necessary  to  put  them  to  death.  The  American 
Society  for  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  has  formulat- 
ed the  following'  rules  : 

First.— Shoot  with  a  32-caliber  or  larger  pistol,  at  the 
point  indicated  by  a  dot  in  Fig.  140,  placing  the  muzzle 
within  a  fewr  inches  of  the  head. 

Second. — Aim  four  or  five  inches  above  the  head. 

Third. — Be  careful  not  to  shoot  too  low. 


Fig.  142— The  Theodore  Knot  Shown  at  C  in  Fig.  141. 


Cowboy  Halter. 

In  this  connection  is  illustrated  one  of  those  marvelous 
productions  of  the  wild  West,  a  cowboy  halter.  The  artist 
has  succeeded  in  very  fully  portraying  the  appearance  of 
this  remarkable  piece  of  harness,  even  to  the  wonderful 
knots  which  it  contains. 

In  adjusting  the  halter  the  rope  at  the  point  A,  Fig.  141, 
goes  back  of  the  ears.  B  is  the  brow  band  in  front  of  the 
ears,  and  is  always  made  of  light  leather,  as  there  is  no 
strain  on  it.  C  is  perhaps,  all  things  considered,  the  most 
remarkable  knot  ever  tied.  There  are  only  a  few  people, 
it  is  said,  in  the  West  even,  who  understand  its  in- 
tricacies.   It  is  called  the  "  Theodore  knot/'  and  is  said  to 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


239 


be  tied  without  ends  to  work  with.  This  knot  is  shown  en- 
larged and  loosened  in  Fig*.  142,  so  as  to  give  our  readers  a 
chance,  if  possible,  to  trace  the  different  strands  composing 


Fig.  143— First  Step  in  Tying  the  Theodore  Knot. 

it.  The  artist  has  shaded  each  rope  differently,  solely  for 
the  purpose  of  showing  as  near  as  possible  how  the  knot  is 


Fig.  144— Second  Step  in  Tying  the  Theodore  Knot. 


tied.  Of  course  practically  all  the  ropes  are  alike.  The 
halter  before  us  is  made  of  quarter-inch  rope.    D  is  what  is 


Fig.  145— Third  Step  in  Tying  the  Theodore  Knot. 


called  a  "Turk's  Head/'  or  Hackamore  knot,  and  is  also 
more  or  less  complicated  and  difficult  to  understand.  E  rep- 
resents the  throat  latch.  F  is  the  loop  to  which  the  lariat 
is  attached. 


240 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


The  Theodore  Knot. 

I  will  try  and  explain  how  I  tie  the  Theodore  knot  used 
on  the  Cowboy  Halter. 

First,  you  take  a  rope  and  double  it  twice  so  as  to  have 
four  strands.  Then  take  the  strand  No.  1  in  Fig-.  143  and 
wind  it  around  the  others  as  shown.  Then  take  strand  No. 
3  and  double  it  around  as  shown  in  Fig.  144  ;  hold  the 
strands  with  your  fingers  so  they  will  not  slip,  until  3^011 
get  them  all  in  place.  Then  take  strand  No.  2  and  double 
it  around  as  shown  in  Fig.  145  and  stick  the  end  through 
the  loop  A  made  with  strand  No.  3.    Next  take  strand  No. 


Fig.  146— The  Theodore  Knot  Complete. 


4  and  double  it  around  as  shown  in  Fig-.  146,  and  put  the  end 
through  the  loops  B  and  C  made  with  strands  3  and  1. 
When  you  have  finished  this,  pull  all  the  strands  together 
and  draw  the  knot  tight,  because  if  you  pull  one  strand 
harder  than  another  it  will  pull  the  knot  out  of  shape. 
From  this  explanation  I  think  almost  anybody  will  be  able 
to  tie  the  knot.  I  don't  think  it  can  be  tied  without  putting 
the  ends  through  the  two  last  used  strands,  Nos.  2  and  4. 
Therefore  be  sure  and  place  the  two  strands  that  are  used 
first,  Nos.  1  and  3,  first  and  third,  because  they  have  no 
ends.  If,  as  claimed  by  some  it  could  be  tied  without  ends, 
it  would  come  untied.— U?/  W.  K.  Higgin, 


CHAPTER  XL 


DOCKING. 

The  Process  of  Docking  Described  and  Illustrated — Is  the 
Process  a  Cruel  One? — Objections  and  Advantages — 
New  York  Fashion. 

To  dock,  or  not  to  dock,  that  is  the  question.  Whether 
'tis  nobler  in  the  mind  to  suffer  the  sling's  and  arrows  of 
outrag-eous  fashion,  by  not  having*  your  horse's  tail  docked 
or  to  take  up  arms  ag*ainst  a  sea  of  troubles,  liable  to  be 
heaped  upon  you  by  the  Massachusetts  society  with  the  long* 
name,  if  you  conform  to  the  modes  of  the  day  in  respect  to 
your  horse. 

As  nearly  every  one  who  owns  a  horse  is  well  aware,  it 
is  the  "fad  "  nowadays  to  drive,  ride  on,  or  ride  behind,  a 
horse  with  a  docked  tail.  Webster  says  to  dock  is  to  cut 
off,  as  the  end  of  a  thing*,  to  cut  short,  to  curtail,  to  clip; 
and  that  is  just  what  is  done  to  the  tail  of  a  horse  that  is 
afterward  said  to  be  "  docked." 

Years  ag*o,  before  it  was  found  necessary  to  organize  so- 
cieties to  suppress  and  prevent  cruelty  to  animals,  the  sim- 
ple act  of  docking-  a  horse's  tail  was  not  considered  even  of 
enough  consequence  to  cause  a  passing*  note  or  comment, 
but  in  these  days  of  progressive  ideas  thing's  are  different. 

The  man  who  docks  horses'  tails  says  he  subjects  the 
horse  to  little  or  no  pain  or  inconvenience  afterward,  and  he 
satisfies  the  craving*  of  public  taste  for  things  that  are  fash- 
ionable as  well  as  beautiful, 


242 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


The  word  having-  been  given  that  the  surgeon  was  ready 
to  dock  the  horse,  bandages  were  put  around  the  horse's 
hind  fetlocks  and  lower  leg's.  Around  the  bandages  a  leather 
strap  at  the  end  of  a  long  rope  was  placed,  the  other  end  of 
the  rope  being*  tied  about  the  horse's  neck,  and  resting  on 

Fig.  147— Cauterizing  Tool. 

the  breast.  "  This,"  said  the  operator,  "is  done  to  prevent 
accident  caused  by  the  horse  kicking,  but  it  is  not  a  neces- 
sity." At  the  horse's  head  stood  a  man  with  twisters  about 
the  horse's  nose,  which  he  tightened  only  slightly.  The 


Ftg.  148— Docking  Machine. 


horse  being  now  tied,  and  in  a  vise,  so  to  speak,  so  that  he 
could  do  no  damage,  a  strong  cord  was  twisted  and  tied  on 
his  tail  about  half  an  inch  above  where  the  horse's  owner 
desired  to  have  the  tail  docked.  The  operator  explained  that 


Fig.  149— The  Pricking  Knife. 

this  binding  was  done  to  prevent  the  flow  of  blood  from  the 
tail  after  the  cutting.  The  rope  being"  bound  tightly  about 
the  tail,  the  operator  brought  into  requisition  a  queer-looking 
machine,  Fig.  148,  made  very  much  after  the  stj  le  of  a  lemon 
squeezer.    On  the  upper  portion  of  the  * '  squeezer/'  near  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER.  243 

£nd  where  the  two  pieces  of  wood  connected,  was  a  semi- 
circular bladed  knife,  and  on  the  lower  portion  a  bed  in  which 
the  knife  rested  wThen  the  machine  closed  up.  The  operator 
got  the  horse's  tail  between  the  handles  of  this  machine  as 
shown  in  the  accompanying*  illustration,  Fig*.  152,  and  in  a 
jiffy  the  knife  closed  down  on  the  tail  and  a  portion  dropped 
to  the  floor.  As  the  knife  penetrated  the  member  the  horse 
winced  for  a  moment,  but  after  the  member  was  severed 
he  did  not  seem  to  suffer.  The  next  portion  of  the  opera- 
tion was  the  singeing*  or  cauterizing  of  the  end  of  the  tail 
that  remained  on  the  horse.    A  singeing  iron,  Fig.  147, 


Fig.  150— The  Flag-Tail  Horse,  after  Docking  and  Pricking. 

white  with  he,at,  resembling  in  every  respect  a  common  car- 
riage nut  wrench,  with  a  small  hole  in  one  end,  was  brought 
into  use.  While  the  "  docker "  moved  this  iron  over  the  raw 
part  of  the  tail  the  horse  again  showed  signs  of  pain,  but  his 
actions  were  not  violent  enough  to  disturb  in  the  least  the 
man  working  the  hot  iron,  who  very  complacently  puffed  the 
cigar  in  his  mouth  and  attended  strictly  to  business  without 
saying  a  word.  In  less  than  two  minutes  from  the  time  the 
horse  was  hitched,  the  entire  process  of  docking  was  over, 
all  the  fixtures  about  the  horse  to  keep  him  quiet  were  re- 
moved, and  the  dumb  beast  with  the  new-fangled  and  fash- 


244 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


ionable  tail  had  his  nose  stuck  in  his  hay  rack  pulling1  down 
hay  to  eat,  little  thinking1  what  a  great  change  a  moment 
had  made  in  his  appearance,  and  what  a  want  he  filled  for 
the  wealthy  gentleman  who  desired  to  be  in  the  fashion. 

The  practice  of  docking,  as  it  is  at  present  done,  is  not  in 
the  least  cruel,  for  the  cutting*  off  of  the  tail  is  almost  in- 
stantaneous. The  tail  is  cut  straight  across  between  the 
bones  nowadays,  and  not  as  it  used  to  be  cut  in  docking  a 
few  years  ago.  Then  the  tail  was  cut  V-shape  and  the 
edges  were  sewed  together  and  allowed  to  heal.    It  took 


some  time  for  healing,  and  the  lower  end  of  the  appendage 
was  sore  till  the  part  healed  entirety.  Now  every  particle 
of  soreness  ends  with  the  cauterizing  of  the  part  cut. 

Docking  and  pricking  a  horse's  tail  makes  the  horse  hold 
his  tail  almost  straight  up  in  the  air  as  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying cut,  Fig.  150.  Docking  a  horse  to  conform  to 
the  present  fashion  makes  him  hold  the  stub  of  his  tail 
almost  straight  out  from  his  body,  and  that  in  itself  is  not 
cruel,  and  can  hardly  come  under  the  head  of  crime,  inso- 
much as  the  hair  in  the  tail  is  almost  as  long  after  the  end 


Fig.  151- -A  Short  Dock. 


246 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOE!  IL 


of  the  tail  is  cut  off  as  before  the  docking*  is  done.  To  make 
the  tail  conform  to  the  present  fashion,  the  hair  must  be  cut 
off  up  to  within  a  foot  or  so  of  the  root;  and  then  again,  this 
practice  is  hardly  any  more  cruel  than  the  simple  banging 
of  a  horse's  tail,  without  docking,  and  banging  is  an  every- 
day occurrence.  The  pricking  is  done  after  the  docking  is 
finished.  A  pricking  blade  (a  cut  of  which  is  shown  here- 
with, Fig.  149),  is  run  into  the  horse's  tail  at  one  side  and 
then  the  other  in  two  or  three  parts.  Then  the  "  pricker '? 
draws  the  knife  towards  the  outer  end  of  the  tail,  cutting 


all  the  muscles  and  tissues  on  its  path.  Once  cut,  the  tail 
is  drawn  up  and  hitched  with  a  pulle}7  block  in  the  position 
the  owner  desires  the  horse  to  carry  his  appendage,  and  in 
that  position  it  is  held  till  all  the  cuts  made  in  the  operation 
are  healed. 

After  this  operation  is  performed,  the  hair  in  the  tail  is 
cut  to  suit  the  fashionable  tastes.  If  the  old-fashioned 
"flag"  tail  is  desired — that  is  to  say,  such  a  tail  as  Flora 
Temple  had — the  hair  in  the  tail  is  close  trimmed  on  the 
sides,  combed  flat  and  parted  on  top.    If  only  the  ordinary 


Fig.  153— Banged  Tail  Cob. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


dock  is  wanted,  the  hair  in  the  tail  is  cut  off  in  bang  fashion 
without  other  trimming.  If  some  other  style  is  wanted,  the 
man  with  shears  must  make  that  style,  for  the  veterinary  ?s 
part  of  the  fashion  ends  with  the  docking  and  pricking. 

The  fashion  in  New  York  is  to  put  a  long  dock,  with  square 
or  fan  ends,  on  a  heavy  brougham  horse.  To  secure  the 
proper  effect  on  a  tail  of  this  nature,  there  must  be  an  ample 
supply  of  long  hair  before  the  docking  is  done.  A  long  bang 
is  the  favorite  style  of  tail  for  the  saddle  horse,  and  when 
properly  trimmed  it  becomes  a  desirable  style  for  the  the 
coach  horse.  It  is  said  to  be  the  most  abused  of  any  st3^1e, 
as  stablemen  who  want  to  imitate  fashion,  and  at  the  same 
time  rid  themselves  of  much  trouble  in  cleaning  and  comb- 
ing, can  clip  the  hair  without  removing  the  tail. 

A  long,  heavy  tail  is  the  fashion  on  heavy,  slow-moving, 
high-stepping  coach  horses,  while  the  "pancake,"  which  is 
short,  but,  instead  of  being  cut  square,  is  trimmed  to  hang 
with  rounded  ends,  is  a  style  for  riding  to  saddle  or  in  a  two- 
wheeler. 

What  are  known  as  cob  horses  are  the  kind  of  horses 
generally  docked.  In  the  language  of  a  stableman,  a  cob 
is  a  little  horse,  big  at  both  ends.  By  that  is  meant  a  full 
made  horse  that  is  not  too  large  for  carriage  or  family  use. 
Cobs  come  from  all  sections  of  the  country,  and  are  of  no 
particular  breed.  The}^  bring  a  much  larger  price  with 
docked  tails  than  without.  Docking  is  an  "  English  "  fash- 
ion, and  that  is  why  it  is  now  so  popular  in  America.  It  is 
sometimes  desirable  to  dock  a  horse  to  cure  him  of  ugliness 
and  kicking,  but  fully  ninety-nine  of  every  one  hundred 
horses  docked  have  their  tails  cut  off  because  their  owners 
want  to  live  up  the  fashion  of  the  times. — Boston  Herald. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


TIPS  FOR  TROTTERS. 

This  Method  Growing  in  Favor — Diseased  Feet  Cured 
by  the  New  Method — The  Simpson  Tip — Toe 
Weights  and  Tip  Combined. 

Among*  the  problems  which  have  engaged  the  attention 
of  horsemen  the  world  over  is  how  best  to  protect  the  equine 
foot,  and  at  the  same  time  interfere  in  the  least  possible 
way  with  the  natural  condition  of  that  valuable  member. 
In  America,  where  the  harness  horse  has  been  brought 
nearer  to  perfection  in  grit  and  speed  than  anywhere  else, 
the  subject  of  shoeing  has  been  carefully  studied,  and,  as  a 
result,  many  of  the  difficulties  arising  from  old-time  methods 
have  been  successfully  overcome.  From  the  heavy  draught 
horse  to  the  fast  roadster  or  racing  trotter,  there  has  been 
a  general  improvement  in  the  fashioning  and  appliance  of 
footgear,  so  that  to-day  there  is  a  vast  difference  between 
the  crude  mass  of  iron  used  by  the  Arabs  and  Moors  in  the 
middle  ages  and  the  neatly  turned  pieces  of  steel  or  iron 
forged  by  the  expert  horseshoers  of  the  United  States. 

Since  races  came  in  vogue  the  care  of  the  animal's  foot 
has  been  more  closely  studied  than  when  the  horse  was  sim- 
ply a  beast  of  burden,  and  the  famous  drivers  of  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century  have  achieved  much  of  their  success  by 
giving  special  attention  to  shoeing  the  flyers  they  trained 
and  drove.  The  late  Dan  Mace,  whose  pre-eminence  as  a 
reinsman  earned  him  the  soubriquet  of  the  Wizard  of  the 
Sulkey,  was  one  of  the  first  professional  drivers  to  make  a 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


close  study  of  this  subject,  arid,  his  quick  perception  enabled 
him  to  see  where  many  evils  resulting  from  old  methods  of 
making*  and  nailing*  on  the  shoe  could  be  remedied.  He 
was  the  first  prominent  driver  to  apply  toe  weights,  whose 
use  has  done  much  to  correct  imperfections  in  the  gait  of 
the  trotter  and  enabled  Maud  S.  to  attain  to  the  unparallel- 
ed speed  of  a  mile  in  2:08f.  Other  famous  whips,  such  as 
Hickok,  of  California  ;  Doble,  of  Chicago  ;  Murphy,  of  New 
York;  Goldsmith,  of  Orange  County,  and  John  Splan,  of 
everywhere,  have  followed  in  Mace's  footsteps  and  included 
shoeing  in  the  curriculum  of  their  professional  course. 
But  with  all  the  improvement,  the  vise-like  character  of 


Fig.  152— Modern  Model  Shoe. 


the  orthodox  shoe  remains,  a  sample  of  which  is  shown  in 
Fig.  152  and  many  a  promising  trotter  has  broken  down 
when  on  the  threshold  of  a  brilliant  career  by  reason  of 
his  inability  to  wear  the  iron  band  which  has -been  consid- 
ered indispensable  to  his  education  and  development. 

Even  those  who  have  not  given  the  subject  any  consider- 
ation can  see  at  a  glance  that  the  immovable  piece  of  metal 
on  the  horse's  foot  hinders  the  natural  growth  of  the  outer 
shell  or  wall  which  covers  and  protects  the  delicate  median- 


250 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOES. 


ism  that  enables  the  animal  to  attain  his  flight  of  speed. 
This  cramping-  of  the  wall  or  crust  brings  about  numerous 
diseases,  the  most  prevalent  of  which  is  that  known  as  con- 
traction, of  which  an  example  is  shown  in  Fig.  153.  This 
the  reader  may  compare  with  the  healthy  foot  shown  in 
Fig.  154.  In  its  natural  state  the  horse's  foot  is  nearly 
round  and  slightly  wider  than  it  is  long.  Shoeing  has  the 
effect  of  changing  this  natural  shape  by  elongating  the  hoof 
and  by  keeping  the  heel  from  spreading,  causing  the  con- 
traction above  referred  to,  the  bete  noir  of  every  horseman 
and  the  chief  enemy  of  every  horse  that  has  worn  shoes. 
Other  common  ailments  from  the  same  cause  are  corns, 


produced  by  the  pressure  on  the  heel,  and  quarter  cracks, 
which  result  from  the  bursting  or  splitting  of  the  wall  of 
the  foot  owing  to  the  unusual  thinness  of  the  horn,  which 
being  bound  by  the  shoe  is  not  strong  enough  to  withstand 
the  pressure  from  within. 

It  is  claimed  by  many  practical  horsemen  that  a  radical 
remedy  has  been  found  for  these  and  kindred  diseases  that 
come  from  the  stereotyped  method  of  shoeing.  This  is  the 
use  of  what  are  knowTn  as  tips,  which  are  nothing  more 


Fig.  153— Bad  Case  of  Contraction. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


251 


than  shoes  without  heels.  Tips  in  a  crude  form  have  been 
in  use  for  a  long  time,  and  were  probably  employed  as  a 
protection  to  horses  that  were  turned  out  to  graze,  and  de- 
signed to  prevent  the  front  of  the  hoof  from  breaking  off 
in  the  pasture.  The  wild  horse  is  constant^  on  the  move, 
and  the  hoof  is  thus  worn  down  proportionate  to  its  growth, 
but  the  domesticated  animal  is  less  active  and  even  un- 
broken colts  require  to  be  looked  after  to  see  that  the  feet 
do  not  grow  too  long.  Close  observers  found  that  when  a 
horse  had  become  so  crippled  from  shoeing  that  he  could 
no  longer  be  driven,  the  quickest  remedy  was  to  remove  the 
shoes,  tack  on  a  light  plate  or  tip,  and  give  the  animal  a 
rest.  Nature  soon  worked  a  cure  when  there  was  no  iron 
band  to  cramp  the  contracted  heel;*  and  the  horse  was  re- 
stored to  usefulness.  Further  experiment  showed  that 
these  tips  could  be  utilized  for  e very-day  wear  when  the 
horse  was  in  harness,  and  with  good  results.  Gradually 
the  use  of  tips  has  been  tested  and  investigated,  until  to-day 
there  are  many  horsemen  who  have  discarded  the  old-time 
shoe  entirely,  and  use  nothing  but  tips. 

For  racing  purposes  the  tip  has  also  been  tested,  and 
with  results  claimed  to  be  satisfactory.  Joseph  Cairn 
Simpson,  editor  of  the  San  Francisco  Breeder  and  Sports- 
man, is  the  acknowledged  pioneer  in  adapting  tips  to  the 
trotting  race  horse.  Mr.  Simpson  is  a  veteran  breeder  and 
trainer  of  trotters,  and  in  common  with  his  fellow  turfmen 
used  the  regulation  shoe  covering  the  foot  to  the  heel. 
Some  years  ago  his  attention  was  attracted  to  the  use  of 
lips,  and  he  began  to  experiment  with  them  on  his  own 
horses,  both  runners  and  trotters.  The  results  of  his  inves- 
tigations, extending  over  a  period  of  about  fifteen  years,  is 
told  in  a  book  published  by  Mr.  Simpson  entitled  "  Tips  and 
Toe  Weights."  The  most  notable  instances  of  Mr.  Simp- 
son's success  with  tips  are  the  turf  performances  of  the  two 
stallions,  Anteeo  and  Antevolo,  bred  by  him  from  Elec- 


252 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


tioneer,  out  of  his  mare  Columbine,  by  A.  W.  Richmond, 
dam  Columbia,  by  the  famous  thoroughbred  racer  Bonnie 
Scotland.  Both  Anteeo  and  Antevolo  were  shod  with  tips, 
as  in  Fig-.  155,  as  colts,  and  their  entire  development  and 
training  were  conducted  with  no  other  protection  for  their 
feet.  In  1885  Mr.  Simpson's  efforts  were  crowned  with  two 
fast  performances  by  the  horses,  when  Anteeo,  then  six 
years  old,  trotted  a  mile  in  2:16^,  and  Antevolo  made  a 
record  of  2:19|  in  his  four-year-old  form. 

One  of  the  most  valuble  results  of  Mr.  Simpson's  inves- 
tigations was  the  improvement  made  by  him  in  the  applica- 
tion of  the  tip.  At  first  it  was  placed  on  the  foot,  like  the 
shoe,  and  tapered  or  feathered  to  a  point  to  keep  the  hoof 
as  level  as  possible.  In  this  form  the  healthy  growth  of 
the  frog  and  natural  shape  of  the  foot  were  retained,  but 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  balance  the  horse  properly, 
and  there  was  an  undue  strain  on  the  tendons.  Mr.  Simp- 
son tells  how  he  got  over  this  drawback  to  his  pet  hobb3r, 
as  follows  :  "  I  made  the  tip  of  nearly  a  uniform  thickness, 
a  majority  of  them  having  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  metal; 
which  was  filed  square.  A  shoulder  was  cut  in  the  wall, 
and  so  much  of  the  sole  as  the  width  of  the  web  required 
and  all  back  of  the  shoulder  was  left  full  and  rounded  with 
a  file  to  protect  the  edge." 

Since  the  first  adoption  of  this  method  of  letting  in  the 
tip  till  it  is  level  with  the  uncovered  part  of  the  foot  there 
has  been  another  improvement,  namely,  the  cutting  of  the 
ends  to  a  point,  or  diagonally,  as  shown  in  Fig.  156. 

"  In  the  Spring  of  1886,"  said  Mr.  E.  T.  Bedford,  of  the 
Thompson  &  Bedford  Co.,  to  a  reporter  of  the  Sun  recently, 
"I  purchased  the  chestnut  mare  Kitty  Patch  en,  by  Job 
Stuart.  She  had  won  several  races,  and  in  1884  made  a 
record  at  Boston  of  2:21^.  In  1885  the  mare  was  campaigned 
again,  but  with  no  success,  owing  to  the  bad  condition  of 
her  feet,    Her  trainer,  A.  J.  Feek,  of  Syracuse,  said  she  had 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


253 


bruised  her  heel,  and  she  was  then  shod  with  the  ordinary 
shoe,  with  a  pad  and  sponge  between  the  shoe  and  foot. 

"When  I  purchased  Kitty  Patehen,"  continued  Mr.  Bed- 
ford, "her  feet  w^ere  in  a  terrible  condition.  What  with 
the  fever  produced  by  contraction  and  the  result  of  con- 
stant soaking,  her  hoofs  were  so  brittle  that  they  could  be 
broken  with  the  finger  and  thumb,  and  the  mare  suffered 
with  corns  and  stood  with  her  feet  forward  in  an  unnatural 
position.  At  first  I  had  her  shod  with  bar  shoes,  which 
relieved  the  corns  temporarily  by  removing  the  pressure. 


Fig.  154— Sole  of  a  Healthy  Foot. 


As  the  hoof  grew  out  the  trouble  returned,  and  I  resolved 
to  try  what  the  use  of  tips  would  do.  I  followed  Mr.  Simp- 
son's instructions,  and  Kitty  found  instant  relief  ;  the  corns 
disappeared,  the  hoof  resumed  its  natural  consistency,  and 
instead  ota  cripple  I  soon  had  a  trotter  free  from  lameness. 
To-day  the  mare  has  as  good  feet  as  any  horse  in  my  sta- 
ble, and  I  believe  she  can  go  faster  than  when  she  was  on 
the  turf.  Late  last  Fall,  on  election  day,  in  fact,  I  drove 
her  half  a  mile  to  wagon  in  1:11  J  and  a  mile  to  a  road  cart 
in  2: 24 J.  With  a  lighter  driver,  but  over  regulation  weight, 
she  trotted  a  mile  to  sulkey  in  2:21f ,  which  is  within  half  a 


254 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSE SHOER. 


second  of  her  best  race  record,  and  that  with  no  preparation. 
These  trials  were  all  done  in  tips,  and  at  Norwalk,  Conn., 
in  1886,  Kitty  trotted  publicly  in  2:26£,  winning*  a  five-heat 
race/' 

"  "Wherein  do  you  think  tips  are  chiefly  to  be  preferred  to 
shoes?"  was  asked. 

6i  Because  they  give  a  horse  the  use  of  the  whole  foot," 
replied  Mr.  Bedford,  "  sole,  frog*  and  horn,  thus  enabling* 
the  natural  elasticity  to  be  fully  exerted.  I  believe  they 
tend  to  make  a  horse  trot  more  square!}^  and  keep  the  gait 
natural.  I  know  that  in  Kitty  Patchen's  case  boots  were 
discarded  after  she  was  shod  with  tips,  and  her  gait 
improved  visibly." 

"  Would  you  do  away  entirely  with  the  regulation  shoe  ?" 

a  Most  assuredly.  My  own  experience  convinces  me  that 
for  trotters  and  roadsters  tips  are  the  thing*.  I  drive  my 
horses  over  all  kinds  of  roads,  and  their  feet  keep  in  per- 
fect condition.  I  have  observed,  also,  that  many  draught 
horses  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn  wear  tips,  and  they  are 
noticeable  for  the  good  condition  of  their  feet.  If  you  will 
examine  the  horses  used  by  the  Havemeyer  Sugar  Refinery, 
for  instance,  you  will  see  that  they  do  their  heavy  work  in 
tips." 

Among  the  smiths  of  the  metropolis  that  make  and  nail 
shoes  on  fine  road  horses  and  trotters  George  Staples  is 
probably  the  most  famous.  Staples  is  a  New  Englander? 
who  was  for  many  years  the  foreman  of  Dan  Mace's  well- 
known  shop  on  upper  Broadway.  Though  now  in  his 
seventy-fifth  year,  Staples  continues  actively  at  work  and 
has  charge  of  an  establishment  on  Fifty-eighth  street,  near 
Broadway.  This  veteran  knight  of  the  forge  has  shod  some 
of  the  famous  trotters,  living  and  dead,  and  looked  after 
Maud  S.'s  feet  when  W.  H.  Vanderbilt  owned  her. 

When  asked  his  opinion  of  tips,  Mr.  Staples  said  :  "  They 
are  ct  very  good  thing,  but  few  people  know  anything  about 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


255 


them.  No,  I  don't  shoe  many  of  the  trotters  that  come  here 
with  tips.  I  know  of  one  or  two  that  use  them.  Yes,  the 
old  style  of  shoe  causes  contracted  feet,  corns  and  other 
troubles.  I  can  manage  corns  quite  easily,  if  the  horse 
comes  regularly,  by  cutting  away  the  heel  slightly  to  take 
off  the  pressure.  For  contracted  feet  I  use  a  spring, 
invented  by  Mr.  Mace,  to  expand  the  heel,  and  this  helps  to 
keep  the  foot  in  its  natural  condition.  I  scarcely  think  tips 
will  supersede  shoes,  for  they  do  not  suit  all  kinds  of  feet, 
in  my  opinion." 
Mr.  Staples  then  selected  a  shoe  that  had  been  used  on 


the  forward  foot  of  a  fast  trotter,  from  which  the  cut  used 
to  illustrate  the  modern  style  of  shoe  is  made. 

"  You  will  notice,"  he  remarked,  "that  there  has  been  a 
great  improvement  in  making  shoes  of  late  years.  Instead 
of  the  great  load  of  iron  that  was  once  the  regulation  style, 
the  shoe  is  much  lighter,  and  steel  is  greatly  used  nowa- 
days. Then,  again,  we  do  not  cut  the  foot  down,  as  for- 
merly, but  the  sole  and  frog  are  left  in  a  natural  condition. 
I  suppose  in  some  parts  of  the  country  they  adhere  to  old 
methods  yet,  but  here  in  New  York  we  have  learned  by 


Fig.  155— The  Simpson  Tip  Set  on  the  Foct. 


256 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


experience  to  interfere  as  little  as  possible  with  the  natural 
condition  of  the  foot." 

An  inquiry  at  some  of  the  large  boarding-  stables  near  the 
Park  showed  that  here  and  there  tips  have  been  used  with 
satisfactory  results,  especially  where  a  horse  has  been  made 
lame  by  the  full-length  shoe.  John  J.  Quinn,  124th  street, 
near  Seventh  avenue,  said  that  he  had  used  tips  on  trotters 
with  success,  but  he  did  not  think  they  would^do  for  steady 
driving  6n  the  rough  avenues. 

"The  fast  mare  Old  Maid,  who  trotted  at  Fleetwood  in 


Fig.  156— Antevolo's  Tip. 

2:21f  some  four  years  ago,  on  a  wager  to  beat  2:22  was 
shod  with  tips,"  said  Mr.  Quinn,  "  and  I  think  Johnny  Mur- 
phy has  used  them  on  some  of  the  horses  he  has  trained." 

D.  B.  Herrington,  manager  of  the  Hudson  River  Driving 
Park  and  stock  farm  owned  by  Jacob  Ruppert,  at  Pough- 
keepsie,  was  in  the  city  recently,  and  when  asked  what  he 
thought  of  using  tips  for  racing  replied:  "I  have  not 
given  them  a  sufficient  trial  to  test  their  use  in  a  race,  but 
I  have  tried  them  with  good  results  as  a  cure  for  corns  and 
quarter  cracks.  Some  years  ago  I  used  those  with  ends 
drawn  out  or  tapered  to  a  point,  but  have  not  tried  those 
set  in  the  hoof  after  the  Simpson  method." 

W.  C.  Trimble,  of  Newburg,  is  one  of  the  best  known  of 
the  old-time  trainers  in  the  East  and  has  had  many  success- 
ful campaigners  through  the  summer  circuit.  He,  too,  has 
been  experimenting  with  tips,  and  has  become  a  strong 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


257 


advocate  of  their  use.  He  first  used  them  on  a  big'  bay  geld- 
ing- named  Jim  Brooker,  who  had  made  a  record  of  2:44f 
in  1885  and  had  afterward  broken  down  from  terrible  quar- 
ter cracks  that  developed  whenever  he  was  put  in  training. 
The  horse  was  sent  to  Mr.  Trimble,  who  substituted  tips 
for  the  troublesome  shoes,  and  the  trotter's  feet  healed  up 
in  a  wonderfully  short  time.  The  veteran , turfite  considers 
tips  a  valuable  boon  to  the  horse  suffering  from  ailments 
caused  by  wearing  shoes. 

A  notable  instance  where  tips  are  worn  by  a  modern  star 


of  the  trotting-  turf  is  that  of  the  gray  gelding-  Jack,  2:19|, 
the  Chicago  crack  that  stood  at  the  head  of  the  Grand  Cir- 
cuit winners  for  1888.  Jack  is  remarkably  pure  gaited  and 
could  be  barefooted  if  necessary.  Budd  Doble  used  tips  of 
about  four  ounces  weight  on  Jack  in  his  races  last  year,  and 
the  horse  kept  improving  all  the  time,  gradually  lowering 
his  record  from  Cleveland  to  New  York,  where  he  made  his 
fastest  mark  in  the  Fleetwood  Stake. 


Fig.  157— Toe-Weight  and  Tip  Combined. 


258 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


In  the  "book  published  by  Joseph  Cairn  Simpson  he  ad- 
vocates the  doing*  away  of  the  old  method  of  weighting  the 
trotter  to  balance  him  by  adding  to  the  shoe,  and  claims 
that  better  results  can  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  the  toe 
weight  in  conjunction  with  the  tip,  as  shown  in  Fig.  157.  It 
is  contended  by  turf  men  that  one  ounce  of  weight  on  the 
toe  is  equivalent  to  from  one  and  a  half  to  three  ounces  on 
the  sole  of  the  foot,  though  some  trotters  will  not  go  level 
or  fast  with  toe  weights,  and  must  be  balanced  by  weight 
in  the  shoe  or  distributed  about  the  foot  in  leather  weight 
pockets.  Others  require  the  toe  weights,  which  give  the 
balancing  medium  in  the  smallest  compass. 

As  yet  the  use  of  tips  is  naturally  looked  on  with  con- 
servatism by  many  horsemen,  and  like  all  other  innovations 
it  continues  to  be  subjected  to  criticism  and  open  opposition. 
In  the  face  of  the  undeniable  fact  that  there  has  been  com- 
paratively little  advance  made  in  the  general  method  of 
shoeing,  and  valuable  horses  are  still  ruined  by  unskillful 
and  ignorant  smiths,  any  plan  that  will  obviate  the  present 
difficulties  deserves  a  full  and  impartial  trial.  The  question 
as  to  the  utility  of  tips  for  racing  purposes  is  realty  a  second- 
ary one  compared  with  the  greater  benefit  that  will  follow 
any  plan  whereby  the  carriage  and  draught  horse  may  be 
kept  freer  from  the  numerous  disabilities  of  foot  and  limb 
which  continue  to  be  a  serious  drawback  to  their  commercial 
value  and  term  of  usefulness. — N.  Y.  Sun, 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


HORSE  PHYSIOGNOMY. 

An  Ingenious  Theory  of  Mind  Reading  Applied  to  Many 
Conspicuous  Race  Track  Favorites — Peculiarities  of  the 
Features  Which  Correspond  with  Weil-Known  Qualities 
of  the  Horse. 

"Horses  are  so  much  like  men,"  said  a  shrewd  Union 
Club  man  the  other  day,  "  that  many  of  the  proverbs  made 
for  their  riders  apply  equally  well  to  the  nags,  and  even  the 
general  laws  of  physiognomy  may  be  studied  out  in  a  stable 
with  results  almost  as  satisfactoiy  as  they  wTould  be  in  a 
drawing-room.  You  can  tell — or  most  people  think  they 
can,  at  least — the  character  of  a  man  by  looking  at  his  face. 
I  believe  a  practised  eye  can  learn  from  the  study  of  a 
racer's  head  what  the  character  of  his  pace  will  be.  It 
might  even  come  to  pass  that  a  study  of  the  heads  of  the 
contesting  beasts  would  enable  an  expert  to  pick  out  the 
winner  beforehand.  Certain  I  am,  at  all  events,  that  a 
horse's  character  is  generally  written  in  his  features  as  in- 
delibly as  is  a  man's." 

There  is  a  venerable  superstition  that  the  front  view  of 
the  average  horse's  head  presents  to  the  eye,  not  averse  to 
seeing  it,  the  general  outlines  of  a  coffin.  The  idea  is,  of 
course,  purely  fanciful.  Much,  however,  may  be  learned 
from  the  study  of  the  equine  features  as  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying cut,  Fig.  158.  Glancing  at  the  dimensions  in- 
dicated by  the  dotted  lines  A  B,  C  D,  E  i^and  I 


260 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


 J", the  horseman  reads  the  character  of  his  beast.  Suppose 

this  reader  of  the  equine  mind  wanders  into  a  famous  stable 
the  day  before  the  Derby — a  stable  containing  several  prob- 
able or  at  least  possible  winners.  The  horses,  eight  or  ten 
of  them,  perhaps,  have  their  heads  out  of  the  stalls  and  re- 
gard the  new  comer  with  languid  interest.  He  sees  a  horse 
whose  head  is  short  from  the  e}^es  to  the  ears,  between  the 

lines  A  B  and  E  F.    There  is  a  slight  concavity  of 

the  skull  where  the  line  C  D  crosses  it.    E  F  is  not 


Fig.  158— Horse  Physiognomy. 

as  wide  as  it  might  be.    The  equine  mind-reader  can't  tell 
yet  whether  his  subject  hasn't  both  strength  and  speed. 
But  he  knows  almost  to  a  certainty  that  he  hasn't  much 
sense  and  is  probably  deficient  in  courage  and  energy. 
Going  to  the  next  stall  he  sees  a  nag  whose  mouth  is  large 

and  flabby-looking,  the  line  I  J  being  of  goodly  length, 

while  the  nostrils, on  the  contrary,  are  small  and  apparently 
inelastic.  C  D  and  E  F  ma3rbe  generous  in  dimen- 
sions, but  the  small  nostril  is  a  bad  sign  for  staying  quali- 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


261 


ties.  The  horse  can't  get  his  wind  in  the  heat  of  a  terrific 
struggle  without  big,  wide,  sensitive  nostrils.  The  big 
heart  to  pump  the  air  in  and  the  big  lungs  to  hold  it — for  it 
is  a  question  how  much  of  a  supply  of i(  wind"  the  animal 
must  keep  on  hand  during  a  race  and  how  far  nature  permits 
him  to  renew  it — are  of  no  avail  without  the  wide  nostrils  to 
gather  it. 

The  next  head  that  greets  him  with  a  whinny,  a  bright 
eye  and  a  docile  face  is  turned  half  sideways,  as  in  Fig.  159. 


Fig.  159— Great  Breadth  of  Jaw. 


The  breadth  of  the  jaw  L  A" is  shown  to  be  great.  The 

equine  reader  knows  that  he  has  strength  and  perhaps 
speed  there.  So  he  pursues  his  investigations,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  jaunt  through  this  stable  he  ma3^have  mentally 
decided  that  three  horses  out  of  the  ten  are  probably 
safe  to  bet  on. 

But  there  are  a  great  many  horsemen  who  deny  that  ac- 
curate judgments  can  be  formed  in  this  way.  Whether 
judgments  so  formed  are  safe  to  tie  to,  especially  to  tie 
money  to,  is  a  new  and  an  interesting  question.    Should  the 


262 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


racing-  season  see  it  develop  as  it  promises,  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  amateur  equine  readers  will  be  found  as  thick  as 
flies  along  Broadway,  stopping  draymen  to  inquire  if  their 
animals  are  wide  across  the  face,  examining  the  brain 
bumps  of  beer  horses  and  the  eyes  of  carriage  teams. 

Fig*.  160  is  a  portrait  of  Eurus,  drawn  from  life.  Proctor 
Knott  is  shown  in  Fig.  161. 

In  order  to  appreciate  Eurus  he  must  be  seen  in  his  stall 
as  well  as  with  his  blinkers  on,  charging  along  the  track 


Fig.  160— Head  of  Eurus. 


with  that  deviltry  which  equine  readers  say  the  above  pic- 
ture brings  out  in  the  ears  and  eyes  and  general  expres- 
sion. Looking  at  him  carefully  it  is  seen  that  his  face  is 
slightly  "  dished  "  below  the  eyes,  and  his  nose  has  a  round, 
Roman  turn.    His  jaw  is  big  and  wide  and,  recurring  to 

Fig.  158  Eurus  is  found  to  be  wide  along  the  line  E  F  and 

big*  at  C  D.    He  is,  beyond  a  doubt,  one  of  the  most 

interesting  horses  on  the  American  turf.  It  is  never  safe 
to  bet  heavily  against  him  in  a  race  in  which  he  is  entered. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


263 


There  is  no  knowing  what  we  may  do.    His  brain  box, 

measured  by  C  D,  is  very  roomy.    Eurus  undoubtedly 

reasons.  His  temper  is  notorious.  He  is  docile  enough  ex- 
cept on  the  track.  "  A  lady  could  drive  him."  But  in  a 
race  he  swerves  and  does  very  much  as  he  chooses.  It  runs 
ir  the  breed  sometimes  for  a  horse  to  act  that  way  on  the 
track. 

"  Eurus  runs  best  on  a  muddy  track/' it  is  often  said. 


Fig.  161—  Head  of  Proctor  Knott. 


But  none  of  the  equine  mind-readers  profess  to  be  able  to 
tell  that  from  looking  at  him.  It  is  experience  only  that 
proves  a  horse  to  be  good  on  the  mud.  That  doesn't  show 
in  his  features,  but  it  shows  in  his  action  and  in  the  actual 
record  of  what  he  has  done. 

Looking  at  Proctor  Knott's  picture  no  indication  of  the 
lack  of  (£  heart "  or  courage,  or  perseverance  is  seen. 
Proctor  Knott  is  a  coarse,  ragged-looking  plebeian  of  a 
horse.    His  head  is  unquestionably  ugly,  when  compared 


264 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


with  even  that  of  Eurus,  whose  expression  is  scarcely  com- 
patible with  beauty.  Compared  with  the  Bard  of  Hanover, 
Proctor  Knott's  "plainness"  becomes  absolutely  plain. 
His  color  is  a  mealy  chestnut.  The  broad  blaze  widening  out 
over  his  nose  does  not  enhance  his  looks.    He  is  not  wide 

across  the  eyes  on  the  line  E  F(see  Fig*.  158),  nor  is  his 

brain  pan,  shown  by  C  D,  to  be  capacious. 

Reading  a  horse's  character  from  his  head  is  like  trj'ing 
to  read  a  man's  character  from  his  face.    Nine  times 


Fig.  162— Angle  of  Body  and  Forelegs. 


out  often  it  maybe  all  right.  The  other  and  tenth  time  it 
may  be  so  widely  and  utterly  wrong  as  to  upset  the  entire 
theory.  But  it's  the  same  way  with  men.  When  a  crime 
requires  intellect,  skill  and  discretion  for  its  execution  it 
doesn't  necessarily  brand  "  criminal  "  on  the  man  who  does 
it.  It's  your  brute  crimes  which  so  unmistakably  stamp  their 
impression  on  their  perpetrators.  All  signs  fail  in  dry  weath- 
er. But  you  want  your  horse  to  have  big  nostrils  and  to 
be  wide  between  the  eyes.  There  is  no  doubt  of  that. 
And  of  course  you  want  him  to  "  fork  close. "   The  angle, 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


265 


as  shown  in  Fig-.  162,  between  the  forelegs  where  they  join 
the  body  must  be  acute.  And  you  want  a  long-  reach  from 
the  hip  down,  a  good  second  thigh,  good  muscles,  and  a 
good  lower  bone. 

King  Thomas  is  shown  in  Fig.  163,  in  all  his  untried 
splendor.  He  is  the  costliest  yearling  known  to  the  Amer- 
ican turf.  When  sold  at  Madison  Square  Garden  by  Mr.  J. 
B.   Haggin,  King  Thomas  was  bought  for  $38,000  by 


Fig.  163— King  Thomas. 


[-  Lew  "  Appleby.  In  twenty-four  hours  Senator  Hearst, 
who  bid  against  Appleby  at  the  auction,  bought  King 
Thomas  for  $40,000.  He~  has  never  run  yet,  and  nobody 
knows  what  he  can  do.  As  shown  by  the  artist,  King 
Thomas  has  a  small  head  for  his  size — he  is  16.1  hands  high 
and  is  rather  narrow  between  the  eyes.  The  general  effect 
of  his  countenance  warrants  his  being  called  "hatchet- 
faced."  His  nose  is  slight! 3r  Roman.  He  has  a  powerful 
chest  and  shoulders,  and  his  length  from  hip  to  whirlbone 


266  THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOES. 

(see  Fig.  164)  is  good.    King  Thomas  is  a  little  bit "  peaked 

behind/'  across  the  line  of  Z  Z  (Fig.  164). 

Close  by  his  famous  kinsman  in  the  Chesterbrook  Stable, 
the  student  of  equine  nature  finds  Eurocrydon,  full  brother 
of  Eurus.  Eurocrydon  is  a  large  bay  colt,  eventy  turned, 
with  no  dimensions  indicating  any  very  great  power. 
Eurocrydon  hasn't  Eurus'  brain  width  or  his  broad  forehead. 
He  has  a  big  mouth  and  large  nostrils.  His  head  is  bigger 
than  that  of  Eurus,  and  he  has  the  rather  remarkabty  un- 
interesting habit  of  sucking  his  tongue.  The  breed  doesn't 
show  facially  in  Eurocrydon. 
•The  Bard,  shown  in  Fig.  165,  has  a  strong  neck  and  great 


Fig.  164— Showing  Hip  and  Whiilbone. 

breadth  of  jaw,  which  is  shown  not  only  in  the  portrait, 
but  also  along  the  line  L....N  in  Fig.  159.  The  Bard, 
as  shown  by  his  face,  has  a  quiet  disposition  and  a 
good  temper.  Some  people  remember  Eurus  and  say  "only 
a  fool  horse  will  really  run  his  best  in  a  race  after  all."  It 
is  a  problem  worth  studying  whether  Eurus  doesn't  reason 
it  out  that  he  will  get  just  as  much  oats  at  night  wThether 
he  runs  or  no.  So  the  rogue  no  doubt  thinks  it  out  and 
concludes  that  it  is  just  as  safe  for  him  to  do  as  he  pleases 
and  a  great  deal  funnier.    But  there  is  none  of  this  rogue 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


267 


reasoning'  in  The  Bard's  face.  His  head  is  small  and  his 
mouth  is  so  daint}^  that  he  could  almost  drink  out  of  a  pint 

cup.    His  head  is  short,  and  the  brain  measure  across  C  

D  (see  Fig*.  158)  is  not  so  great  as  in  Eurus.  Across  the  line 
E. . . .  jF7,  between  the  eyes,  the  Bard's  head  is  very  wide, 
and  his  eyes  are  big-,  brown  and  gentle.  The  Bard's  leg  is 
his  great  beauty.  His  hind  leg  is  one  of  the  finest  known. 
It  is  as  thin  as  one's  hand  and  as  solid  and  heavy  as  ivory. 
There  is  no  porosity  or  weakness  about  it.    The  depth 


through  the  chest  on  the  line  T  T  (Fig.  162),  is  very  great 

in  the  Bard. 

The  creature  is  deceptive  in  appearance.  He  has  to  be 
analyzed  for  his  fine  points  to  be  appreciated.  He  has  both 
bottom  and  speed.  He  is  tall  to  the  point  of  legginess  and 
unusually  short  from  shoulder  to  cropper.  Eurus  has  very 
broad  quarters  from  hip  bone  to  whirlbone,  the  Bard  only 
medium.  Most  people  like  a  broad  quarter  for  a  horse. 
Some  good  horses  are  broad  behind  and  others  are  large 


Fig.  165— The  Bard. 


268 


THE  PRACTICAL  IIORSESHOER. 


and  peaked  behind.  When  a  horse  is  both  short  and  peaked 
behind  he  isn't  to  be  depended  on,  many  experts  agree. 
Nor,  as  far  as  that  goes,  is  he  to  be  depended  on  unless  you 
can  lay  your  three  lingers  between  his  eyes.    The  Bard  is 

notably  narrow  across  the  lines  Z  Z  (see  Fig.  164),  and 

remarkably  broad  in  the  stifles  along  the  line  X  Y.  Eu- 

rus  is  very  deep  from  the  eye  line  E  F  to  the  ear  line  A 

 B  (see  Fig.  158.)    The  hollows  over  a  horse's  eyes  are 


Fig.  166 -Head  of  Hanover. 


natural  and  mean  nothing  in  particular,  though  to  an  am- 
ateur  they  often  give  a  wrong  impression  that  there  is  some- 
thing the  matter  with  the  animal.  Of  course  a  horse  shouldn't 
have  such  deep  hollows  that  you  could  carry  his  feed  in 
them.  And  while  his  neck  should  be  muscular  there 
shouldn't  be  an  ounce  of  superfluous  flesh  on  it.  One  thing 
is  certain :  if  a  horse  doesn't  look  symmetrical  to  the  expert 
eye  the  chances  are  that  he  isn't  all  he  ought  to  be. 

Hanover,  the  great  Hanover,  who  has  won  more  money 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


269 


than  any  three-year-old  that  ever  started,  is  seen  in  Fig-. 
166,  and  presents  another  distinctly  interesting-  type  of 
horse  physiognomy.  Hanover  has  won  seventeen  races  In 
succession.  He  is  five  years  old  and  a  brave,  handsome 
creature.  He  went  lame  last  year  and  a  small  portion  of 
the  nerve  was  removed  from  his  leg-.  It  was  feared  this 
might  impair  his  powers,  but  it  did  not.  Hanover  is  of  a 
high  equine  type ;  he  is  wide  between  the  eyes  and  shows 
quality  in  his  face,  which  is  decidedly  intelligent.  His  eye 
is  full  and  big,  his  nose  is  straight,  his  muzzle  is  small,  and 
the  broad  blaze  on  his  face  does  not  detract  from  the  gener- 
al high-bred  look  of  his  head.  He  is  over  16  hands  high, 
and  has  long  white  stockings.  His  queer  fashion  of  wag- 
ging his  head  from  side  to  side  as  he  runs  has  made  him 
widely  known  on  the  track. — N.  Y.  Sunday  World. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


OX  SHOEING. 

Making  and  Fitting  Ox  Shoes. 

I  will  give  you  my  ideas  on  ox  shoeing..  The  first  point 
to  be  considered  is  the  shoes,  that  is,  which  is  the  cheapest 
and  best,  machine  or  hand-made  shoes  ?  There  are  several 
companies  that  make  ox  shoes.  A  malleable  iron  shoe  is 
very  good  and  cheap,  but  they  will  not  fit  all  kinds  of  feet, 
especialh7  the  hir^d  ones.  These  are  not  so  rounded  as  the 
front  feet,  and  should  not  be  so  wide  in  the  web. 

My  idea  of  the  best  ox  shoe  is  a  hand-made  one.  It  will 
give  the  best  satisfaction  to  both  parties.  To  be  sure  hand- 
made shoes  cost  a  little  more  than  machine-made  ones,  but 
you  can  make  them  at  odd  times,  making  some  of  them 
more  and  others  less  rounded  at  the  toe  or  heel  or  both. 
Then  by  having  a  stock  on  hand  you  will  find  shoes  that 
will  fit  all  kinds  of  feet,  thereb}^  saving  enough  time  in 
putting  them  on  to  make  up  for  the  extra  cost.  I  take  the 
best  refined  iron,  1^  inches  by  T5g  inch,  for  hind  shoes,  and 
1|  inches  to  If  inches  by  inch  for  front  shoes.  I  should- 
er down  and  draw  out  the  toe,  then  shoulder  the  heel  the 
opposite  way,  bend  over  the  horn  to  the  desired  circle,  draw 
the  inside  edge  thin,  and  punch  the  holes  with  a  counter- 
sink punch  so  that  the  nail  heads  will  fit.  I  like  punching 
better  than  creasing,  as  it  makes  a  stronger  shoe,  and  one 
that  will  stay  in  place  longer,  because  the  strain  comes  on 
the  head  of  the  nail,  instead  of  under  it,  as  in  most  creased 
shoes.  ' 

In  fitting  up  the  shoes  I  turn  up  the  toe  and  heel,  making 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


271 


a  short  calk,  and  punch  the  holes  slanting-  out,  which  has  a 
tendency  to  make  the  inside  of  the  shoe  lie  down  on  the 
bottom  of  the  foot.  I  like  six  nail  holes  in  the  front  shoes 
fitted  for  No.  5  nails  ;  for  very  large  oxen  I  use  No.  6. 

In  putting-  shoes  on,  the  foot  should  be  made  perfectly 
level  with  a  rasp,  having  each  claw  on  the  foot  the  same 
height.  When  the  feet  are  worn  very  thin  and  rounding  the 
shoe  should  be  fitted  carefully  to  the  feet.  Always  have 
the  shoe  fit  the  outside  wall  and  circle  of  the  foot.    A  shoe 


Fig.  167— Frame  for  Shoeing  Oxen.     Scale  one-fourth  inch. 


may  be  a  little  short  at  the  toe  without  serious  damage  en- 
suing, but  it  should  be  as  long  as  the  foot  at  the  heel  and 
wide  enough  in  the  web  to  protect  the  bottom  from  injury. 

In  nailing  on,  start  your  nail  at  the  inside  of  the  wall  and 
do  not  go  too  high.  Care  should  be  taken  to  avoid  drawing- 
the  clinches  too  hard.  Then  with  a  V-shaped  tool,  cut  in 
for  the  clinch  and  set  into  place.  File  the  clinch  only,  as  the 
shoe  should  fit  the  foot;  do  not  file  the  foot  to  fit  the  shoe, 
— By  "  Ox  Shoes/' 


272 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


Frame  for  Shoeing  Oxen. 


I  have  shod  oxen  for  thirty-four  years,  and  think  I  can 
lay  claim  to  some  experience.  Herewith  I  send  you  a  draft 
of  my  ox  frame,  Fig.  167.  The  sills  of  the  frame  are  of  pine, 
10  inches  square  and  12  feet  long;  posts,  8  inches  square ; 
foot  and  neck  beams  the  same  size ;  plates  and  cross-plates, 
6x8;  foot  rest,  3x6,  hard  wood;  diameter  of  rollers,  5 
inches,  and  they  are  made  of  hard  wood  ;  stanchion-pins  of 
hickory,  and  of  the  size  that  will  work  easy  in  two-inch 
auger  hole;  clevis  f  round  iron  with  J-inch  pins,  see  Fig. 
168 ;  slings,  3  feet  4  inches  long,  and  2  inches  wide,  they 


should  be  made  of  very  heavy  leather,  two  thicknesses  be- 
ing stitched  together,  with  iron  clips  at  the  ends  to  hold 
the  chains;  the -chains  are  2  feet  6  inches  long.  I  use 
heavy  hickory  sticks  to  wind  up  the  rollers  and  hold  them 
in  place.  The  ratchet  may  be  used,  as  shown  in  the  cut, 
if  desired,  but  I  prefer  to  allow  the  end  of  the  winding  stake 
to  strike  against  the  cross-piece.  Use  two-inch  plank  for 
your  floor.  This  frame  may  look  heavy,  but  it  is  necessary, 
for  they  get  terribly  wrenched  at  times,  and  I  should  make 
it  heavier  rather  than  lighter. — By  Lott  Phillips. 


I  enclose  a  plan  for  an  ox  swing  that  I  am  using,  and 
one  that  works  well.  It  is  drawn  to  the  scale  of  half  an 
an  inch  to  the  foot,  which  will  enable  anyone  who  desires 


Fig.  168— Foot  Held  by  the  Clevis. 


Ox  Swing. 


274 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


to  build  one  from  the  drawing  I  enclose.  Fig".  169  is  a  side 
view  of  the  apparatus,  and  Fig.  170  the  front.  It  is  built 
of  lumber,  six  by  eight  inches,  in  sections.  The  floor  is  of 
two-inch  plank,  raised  one  foot  from  the  ground  to  prevent 
stooping  on  the  part  of  the  operator.  The  nailing  pieces,  A 


i 

| 
I 

r  

• 

\ 

i 

/  m 

J 

=4 

1 

< 

A 

m 

(-.  =-3ft^5iih  W 

Fig.  170-End  View. 


are  three  by  four  inches,  raised  eight  inches  from  the  floor. 

Each  is  furnished  with  two  devices,  B,  for  securing  the 
foot.  They  are  let  into  the  inside  of  the  posts  two-thirds  of 
their  thickness,  and  are  secured  by  bolts.  The  rollers,  C, 
are  made  of  hard  wood,  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  are 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


275 


made  to  turn  by  means  of  levers.  One  of  these  might  be 
framed  into  posts,  if  desired,  and  the  other  one  alone  made 
to  turn.  The  belt,  a  detail  of  which  is  shown  in  Fig*.  171,  is 
made  of  strips  of  harness  leather  eight  inches  wide,  riveted 


o  o 

O  /© 


P  o 

o  o 


Fig.  171 -Detail  of  Belt. 

together  with  rings  of  half-inch  iron,  and  a  short  chain  to 
roll  upon  the  rollers.  The  stanchions  showrn  in  Fig.  170  are 
made  to  open  toward  both  sides,  as  there  would  not  be 
sufficient  room  if  they  opened  from  only  one  side. — By  G. 
E.  F. 

Making  an  Ox  Frame. 

The  accompanying  sketch,  Fig.  172,  of  an  ox  frame  will 
prove  useful  to  a  great  many.  My  father  used  a  frame 
like  it  for  many  years,  and  it  suited  him  very  well.  In 
making  it  hardwood  is  essential.  The  dimensions  of  the 
timber  are  8  in.  x  11  in.  There  are  three  rollers,  as  indicated 
in  the  engraving  by  the  letters  A,  A  and  E.  The  bars,  B, 
when  inserted  in  holes  made  for  the/  purpose  in  the  rollers, 
enable  the  smith  to  wind  up  the  chains,  C.  At  the  right  of 
the  illustration  is  shown  the  clip  for  holding  the  ox's  foot, 
and  on  each  side  of  the  frame  and  underneath  the  belt  can 
be  seen  bars  to  which  the  clip  is  attached,  by  passing  the 
clip  pins  through  the  holes  in  the  bars  and  clips. — By 
T.  C.  B. 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


277 


Swing  for  Shoeing  Oxen. 

Inclosed  please  find  a  description  of  an  ox  swing  I  built  a 
few  years  ago,  which  shows  for  itself.  If  occasion  requires 
we  can  shoe  all  four  feet  at  the  same  time  with  no  inconven- 
ience to  the  ox,  as  he  will  lie  in  the  straps  and  chew  his  cud 
as  unconcerned  as  you  please,  unless  he  is  a  fractious  "  crit- 
ter." In  that  case  he  will  find  himself  in  mid-air,  kicking 
at  what  ?    Nothing,  but  having  a  fine  country  swing.  In 


FLOOR  ABOVE 


Fig.  173— Swing  for  Shoeing  Oxen. 


the  old  style  of  frame  there  is  too  much  lumber  to  bruise 
himself  against.  I  have  often  heard  the  remark  from  cus- 
tomers, with  regard  to  the  old  frame,  "I  would  rather  my 
oxen  would  do  a  hard  day's  work,  or  even  a  week's  work, 
than  be  shod and  they  were  right. 

When  not  in  use  the  straps  hang  to  the  frame  A,  Fig. 
173,  by  the  hooks  bb.  You  will  see  there  is  nothing  for  the 
ox  to  brace  against  to  hurt  himself,  as  each  motion  gives 


278 


THE  PRACTICAL  HORSESHOER. 


him  a  swing*.  He  is  attached  to  the  frame  and  hangs  sim- 
ply by  two  chains  from  the  main  shaft,  C,  which  goes  across 
the  frame  to  the  side  of  the  shaft,  and  to  which  is  attached 
a  large  wTheel  to  receive  the  rope  for  raising  and  lowering 
by  a  windlass  in  front.  For  fastening  the  feet  I  use  straps 
which  go  round  the  feet  twice  and  buckle.  I  have  a  head 
rope  to  keep  the  ox  forward. 

The  platform  is  10  feet  long  by  3  feet  wide,  front  of  for- 
ward block  2  feet  6  in.  from  stanchion.  Block,  14|  in.  at 
the  highest  point  by  9  in.  wricle  and  4  in.  thick,  hollowed  and 
pitched  toward  the  back  ;  also  set  on  an  angle,  as  the  foot 


Fig.  174— Straps  for  Ox  Swings. 


will  turn  out  when  raised  to  the  block.  From  stanchions  to 
front  of  hind  block,  6  feet.  To  make  the  hind  block,  take 
hard  wood  3|  by  5  in.,  rabbit  the  lower  inside  twTo  inches 
deep,  to  receive  the  standards  of  plank,  which  are  also  cut 
into  the  inside  sill  of  platform,  which  is  6  by  6  ;  give  pitch 
to  suit  the  shoer.  The  platform,  from  floor  of  shop  to  floor 
of  same,  front,  1  foot  3  in.,  hind,  10  in.,  making  a  pitch  of 
5  in. 

The  straps,  Fig.  174,  from  b  to  c,  exclusive  of  chain,  4 
feet;  from  e  bo  e,  4  feet ;  from  the  strap,  &cto  d,  21  in. ; 
from  b  c  to  b  c}  3  feet,  with  brisket  of  same  piece  ;  also  the 


2t9 


bucket  st^p  from  b  c.  £3  iri. ;  jerkin  At  ^>  8  in-  ?  ditto  at  c 
and  &,  15  in.  ;'at*  6  ^?  iJ  m.  The  al36ve  measures  will  make 
each  foot  come  right  with  the  frame  above,  hung*  level  3 
inches  from  stanchions.  The  hook  at  c  to  receive  the  chain 
e  9  inches  from  front ;  for  chain  b,  22  in.  from  front ;  next  b 
2  feet  from  hind  ;  chain  d,  center  of  frame,  hind. 

The  arranging  of  shaft  above,  raising  and  lowering  the 
ox,  can  be  fitted  to  suit  the  place.  The  cost  of  whole,  com- 
plete, will  not  be  far  from  $50.  Another  important  part  is  a 
good  head  rope  to  keep  the  ox  from  swaying  forward  and 
back.— By  Lunk  Head. 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Angle  of  horse's  foot   65 

Anvil,   device    to  prevent 

shoes  slipping  on   65 

Arabian  horse  nail   11 

Arabian  horseshoe   10 

Bar  shoes   227 

Box  for  farrier   52 

Box  for  shoeing   48,  51 

Box  for  tools   50 

Calks,  self-sharpening   219 

Calks,  sharpening   221 

Calks,  to  make   187 

Chest  founder,  to  shoe  for. .  212 

Clicking,  to  cure   210 

Clincher,  rotary   222 

Clincher,  to  make   47 

Club  feet   205 

Cold  fitting  107,  167,  171 

Contracted  feet..    110,  112,  113, 
114,  117,  118,  120,  128, 129,  130, 
131,  132,  134,  137,  138,  139,  140 
Contracted  feet,  white  pine 

pitch  for   147 

Contraction,  spreading  for, 

119,  127 

Corns  171,  207 

Corns,  cause  and  treatment 

of   151 

Corns,  how  to  treat   231 

Corns  in  horses'  feet   150 


PAGE 

Corns,  shoeing  to  prevent. . .  148 
Cracked  hoof   187 

Docking,  process  of   241 

Dressing  the  foot   90 

Drop  sole.,   213 

Farrier's  box   52 

Feet,  contracted. .     110,  112,  113, 
114,  117,  118,  120,  128,  129,130, 
134,  137,  139,  140 
Feet,  glycerine  for  softening,  233 

Fitting,  cold   107,  167,  171 

Fitting,  hot.  100, 104, 106,  107, 108 

Fitting,  hot  and  cold   92 

Flat-footed  horse,  to  shoe. .  198, 
199,  201,  203 

Foot,  club   205 

Foot  (crooked),  to  shoe..    203,  204 

Foot,  pumice   213 

Foot  rest   53 

Foot  (split). ...    185,  186,  187,  188, 
191,  193,  195,  196 

Foot,  to  dress   90,  92 

Forging   92 

Forging,  shoeing  to  prevent 

176,  214 

Founder,  what  is  it  ?   211 

Halter,  Cowboy   238 

Hammer,  shoeing   42 

Hoof-bound  horses,  to  shoe.  187 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Hoof  pinchers     43 

Hoofs,  split!   92 

Hoof  trimmers,  a  pair  of . . . .  43 

Horse,  how  to  kill   236 

Horse  nail,  Arabian   11 

Horse  nail,  Spanish   11 

Horse  nail,  Syrian   11 

Horse  nails,  to  bend   45 

Horse  nails,  tool  for  clinch- 
ing*  44 

Horse,  physiognomy  of   259 

Horses'  foot,  angle  of   65 

Horse's  foot,  preparing  for 

the  shoe   87 

Horse's  foot  rest   53 

Horses,  to  shoe  vicious .  67, 

74,  76 

Horses,  to  shoe  unruly   70 

Horses,  shoeing   20 

Horses,  treatment  of   13 

Horses,  true  way  to  shoe  . . .  96 

Horseshoe,  Arabian   10 

Horseshoes,  improved   234 

Horseshoes,  slipping  on  an- 
vil, to  prevent   65 

Horseshoeing   17,  27 

Horseshoeing,  an  idea  in   225 

Horseshoeing,  clinching  nails 

in   223 

Horseshoeing,  observations 

on   36,  182 

Horseshoeing,  rules  for   34 

Horseshoe  nails,  driving   225 

Horseshoer's  tool  box  ■. . .  49 

Hot  fitting. . . .    100,  104,  106,  107, 
108,  130,  167,  171 

Interfering.  . .  92, 137,  153,  155, 
157,  158,  159, 160,  162,  163,  166, 
167,  169,  170,  171,  173,  175,  195 


PAGE 

Kicking  horses,  to  shoe. .    69,  73, 

74,  75 

Knee-spruug  horse,  to  shoe . .  198, 

204,  207 

Knot,  the  Theodore   240 

Over-reaching,  to  cure   162, 

167,  171,  175,  176 

Oxen,  hot  fitting  for   102 

Ox  frame,  making   275 

Ox  shoeing   270 

Ox  shoeing,  frame  for   272 

Ox  shoeing,  swing  for   277 

Ox  swing   273 

Physiognomy,  horse.   259 

Pinchers,  hoof  .-   43 

Pinchers,  spring   45 

Poulticing   138 

Quarter  cracks   132,  134, 

178,  183,  184 

Rivet  cutter   44 

SELF-sharpening  calks   219 

Setting  heels  and  toes   221 

Sharpening  calks   221 

Sharpening  toe  calks,  tool 

for   64 

Shoe  for  contracted  feet   141, 

142,  145 
Shoeing,   a  country  black- 
smith on   39 

Shoeing  box   48,  51 

Shoeing  contracted  feet. . . .  110, 
112,  113,  114,  117,  118,  120,  128, 
129,  130,  132,  134,  137,  139,  140, 

229 

Shoeing  flat-footed  horses. .  198, 
199.  201,  203 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Shoeing  hammer,  to  make. .  42 

Shoeing  horses   20 

Shoeing  horses,  general  di- 
rections   28 

Shoeing  kicking  horses  and 

mules   69,73,  74,  75 

Shoeing  mule's  contracted 

foot     145 

Shoeing  oxen   270 

Shoeing  stand   45,  55,  56 

Shoeing  sound  feet   98 

Shoeing  to  correct  forging. .  214 
Shoeing  to  prevent  corns. . .  148, 

151,  152 

Shoeing  vicious  horses .    67,  74,  76 

Shoes,  bar   227 

Shoes,  to  fit   162 

Spanish  horse  nail   11 

Split  foot   185,  186,  187,  188, 

191,  193,  195,  196 

Split  hoofs   92 

Stand  for  shoeing   45,  55,  56 

Stocks  for  shoeing  kicking 

horses  and  mules          78,  83,  85 

Striking,  to  prevent   209 

Stumbling  horses   207,  208 

Swage  for  calks   159 


PAGE 


Swing  for  shoeing  kicking 

horses   78 

Syrian  horse  nail   11 

Thick-heeled  shoes   216 

Thrush   204 

Tip,  shoeing  with   207 

Toe  calks   171 

Toe  calks,  to  sharpen   57,  59 

Toe  tips-  r   175 

Tool  box   50 

Tool  box  for  horseshoers   49 

Tool  for  clinching  horse  nails  44 

Tool  for  drawing  clips   57 

Tools  for  horseshoers   42 

Tool  for  sharpening  toe  calks  64 
To  shoe  a  horse  injured  by 

calking                         ...  217 

To  shoe  a  horse  that  crosses 

one  leg  over  the  other   222 

Tool  for  measuring  angle  of 

horse's  hoof.   230 

Trotters,  tips  for   248 

Turned  foot,  to  cure   209 

Welding  toe  calks   171 


PC    DIIDI/C  Successor  to 

■  l\  DUrmC,  c.  f.  dewick  &  co. 

Manufacturer  of 
PATENT  STEEL 

(Blunt  and  Sharp) 

TOE-CALKS. 

— ALSO — 

Burke's  Improved 

H0R3ESH0ERS* 
FOOT  VICE. 

Send  for  Circulars. 

360  Dorchester  iy.  Die  for  Welding 

BOSTON,  MASS.      Sharp  Calks. 


PRACTICAL  BLACKSMITHING 


UXovk. 


Is  a  new  book  compiled  from  the  practical  articles  which  have  appeared  from  time  to  time 
during  the  past  few  years  in  the  columns  of  "  The  Blacksmith  and  Wheelwright." 

Volume  I.  relates  to  Ancient  Blacksmithing1,  and  gives  illustrations 
with  descriptions  of  some  ancient  tools;  tells  how  Hammers  Should  Be  Made; 

and  gives  Plans  of  Blacksmiths'  Shops,  and  a  variety  of  plans  of  Forges, 

and  the  best  way  to  build  Chimneys.  Illustrations  and  descriptions  of  a  great  variety  of 
Tongs,  Hammers,  Punches  and  Cold  Chisels  are  given. 

Two  prize  articles  on  Blacksmiths'  Tools,  which  have  appeared  in  "  The 
Blacksmith  and  Wheelwright,"  are  printed  in  full. 

There  are  five  chapters  in  the  book,  each  complete  in  itself. 

Chapter  I.  treats  of  Ancient  and  Modern  Hammers.  Chapter  II. 
Ancient  Tools.  Chapter  III.  Chimneys,  Farges,  Kires,  Shop 
Plans,  Work  Benches,  etc.  Chapter  IV.  Anvils  and  Anvil  Tools. 
Chapter  V.  Blacksmiths'  Tools. 

There  is  no  book  like  it  in  the  language:  in  fact,  a  work  on  blacksmithing  has  never  before 
been  published  in  this  or  any  other  country.  As  the  publisher  has  decided  to  offer  the  work 
at  a  low  price,  with  a  view  of  large  sales,  the  book  is  likely  to  find  its  way  into  the  hands  of 
all  good  blacksmiths  wherever  located.  It  will  be  sent  post-paid  to  any  part  of  the  country 
on  receipt  of  price,  $I.OO.  Address,  M.  T.  RICHARDSON,  Publisher,  84  and  86  Reade 
Street,  New  York, 


"GREENFIELD"  FORGED  OX  SHOE. 


ONLY  GENUINE. 


Made  under  the  Parker  and  Colburn  Patents,  from  Burden's  H.  B.  and  S.  Iron. 
Nail  holes  punched  and  every  shoe  perfect. 

The  Parker  and  Colburn  Patents  cover  broadly  the  dies  in  which  the  shoes  are 
forged.  We  are  the  only  licensees,  and  all  parties  are  cautioned  against  using  either 
of  the  dies  or  the  forging  mechanism  or  processes  so  protected,  as  our  rights  under 
said  patents  will  be  fully  maintained. 

While  we  can  furnish  either  the  Concave  Shoe  with  One  Calk,  or  the  Flat  Shoe  with 
Two  Calks,  we  emphatically  recommend  the  Concave,  with  one  Calk,  for  the  following 
reasons,  viz. : 

First — Because  the  entire  bearing  of  the  shoe  should  come  upon  the  shell  of  the 
hoof  and  not  upon  the  ball  or  the  tender  part  of  the  foot,  as  is  necessarily  the  ca«e  with 
the  flat  shoe.  This  principle  is  recognized  by  all  experts  in  the  shoeing  both  of  oxen 
and  horses,  and  will  prevent  a  tendency  to  sore  footedness. 

Second — Because  by  having  one  Calk  only  the  shoe  can  be  cut  off  or  lengthened  and 
fitted  more  perfectly  to  the  foot. 

Third— Because  by  having  one  Calk  only  theshoer  can  make  the  other  calk  at  any 
angle  he  desires, 

No_.  0,  Full  Length,  Concave,  4^  inches,  weight  p  ?r  set  of  eight  shoes,  2  pounds. 
44   1,     "       l'  k4       5      kk  44         "  "  3 

"  2,  44    "      "    m         u     "        11  <    3%  4t 

44    3,     44        <k  14        6      14  44         *4  44  4 

44   4,     44        4  4  4  4        6^   14  44         44  44  5 

Packed  in  boxes  or  kegs  of  100  pounds,  half  each  rights  and  lefts.    Full  weight 

and  no  charge  for  packages. 

PRICES. 

For  orders  of  One  Ton,  or  more    9  cents  per  pound. 

44  1,000  lbs.  or  more  9>£  14 

500     4*         4*  10 

Less  than  500  lbs  10^   44  44 

Made  ONLY  by  MILLERS  FALLS  COMPANY, 

93   Reade  Street,        =  New  York:. 

SOLD   BY  AEZ  HARDWARE  DEALERS, 


MTJUST  PUBLISHED! 


"ARTISTIC  HORSE-SHDEIJIG." 

By  PROF.  GEORGE  E.  RICH. 

TTTHIS  is  a  practical 
J[  and  scientific  treat- 
ise by  a  thorough 
mechanic  who  can  turn 
a  horse-shoe  with  the 
most  expert,  and  is  will- 
ing to  impart  to  others 
the  information  he  has 
acquired  during  a  life- 
time spent  at  the  forge 
and  in  lecturing  on  the 
horse's  foot  and  proper 
methods  of  shoeing. 
His  new  book  gives  im- 
proved methods  of  shoe- 
ing, with  special  direc- 
tions for  shaping  shoes 
to  cure  different  dis- 
eases of  the  foot,  and  for 
the  correction  of  faulty- 
action. 

This  book  is 

Fillet!  with  Illustrations 

of  different  shaped  shoes,  each  designed  for  a  special  purpose. 
It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  this  book  is  literally 

WORTH  ITS  WEIGHT  IN  GOLD 

to  every  man  who  shoes  horses  for  a  living.  Every  blacksmith  or  horse- 
shoer  will  find  it  profitable  to  send  for  one  immediately. 

It  is  bound  in  Extra  Cloth,  with  Ink  Side  Stamp,  and  will  be  sent  to 
any  address  on  receipt  of  One  Dollar, 

Address  all  orders  to 

M.  T.  RICHARDSON,  Publisher, 

84  and  86  READE  ST.,  NEW  YORK. 


NEW  BOOK 

ON 

CARRIAGE  *  PAHUffi. 

The  Complete  Carriage  ana  Wagon  Painter 


Is  a  work  of  nearly  200  pages,  which  gives 
in  m  plain  language,  detailed  directions  for 
painting 

Carriages,  Wagons  and  Sleighs, 

besides  full  instruction  in  all  the  various 
branches,  includ.ng  Lettering,  Scrolling, 
Ornamenting,  Striping,  Tarnishing  and 
Coloring,  wirn  numerous  receipts  for  mixing 
color.  It  contains  nearly  Two  Hundred  Illus- 
trations. This  is,  without  doubt,  the  most 
complete  work  of  the  kind  ever  issued.  It 
contains  information  of  value  to  the  most  ex- 
pert painter,  and  is  indispensable  to  those 
whose  opportunities  for  learning  the  busi- 
ness have  been  limited.  This  book  will  be 
found  valuable  to  all,  and  especially  to  those 
who  do  their  own  painting.  It  contains 
twenty-two  chapters,  and  treats,  among  other 
things,  of  Wagon  Striping,  with  description 
of  tools  employed;  Wagon  Lettering,  with 
illustrations  of  a  great  variety  of  letters,  and 
directions  how  to  make  and  shade  them. 
Wagon  Scrolling  is  fully  described  and  illus- 
trated, and  also  Stenciling.  Full  description 
of  how  to  Paint  a  Wagon  from  beginning  to 
end;  First  Coat.  Second  Coat,  Puttying,  Sand- 
Papering.  Varnishing,  etc.  One  chapter  tells 
u  How  to  Paint  a  Lumber  Wagon  ;  "  another 
relates  to  "Touching  Up  Repair  Work;1'  an- 
other, "  How  to  Paint  a  Cheap  Job,"  includ- 
ing an  Express  Wagon  ;  "How  to  Re-Varnish 
a  Carriage;"  "Harmony  of  Colors;"  Transfer 
Ornaments  and  how  to  make  them. 


Illustrations  Are  Given  of  a  Variety  of  Monograms. 

So  much  practical  and  valuable  information  for  so  little  money,  we  believe,  has  never 
before  been  presented  in  so  desirable  a  form. 

The  price  of  this  book,  which  is  handsomely  bound  in  cloth,  with  gold  and  ink  sides,  is 
but  One  Dollar,  including  the  postage — that  is,  for  $1.00  it  will  be  delivered  at  your  post- 
office. 

Send  the  amount  by  post-office  order,  postal  note,  in  postage  stamps,  by  registered  letter 
or  express,  or  in  any  way  most  convenient.  Address 

M.  T.  RICHARDSON,  Publisher, 

$4  &  86  Reade  St.,  New  York, 


Date  Due 


